Sorting nexin 3 promotes ischemic retinopathy through RIP1- and RIP3-mediated myeloid cell necroptosis and mitochondrial fission

J Jiaojiao Wang (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) C Chunhong Zhou (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) K Kai Zhuang (School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University) J Jiami Zou (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) W Wanlu Qiu (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) M Mei Jin (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) W Weile Ye (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) P Pinglian Yang (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) Z Zhihua Zheng (State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University) Q Qing Zhou Z Zunnan Huang (Key Laboratory of Big Data Mining and Precision Drug Design of Guangdong Medical University, Key Laboratory of Computer-Aided Drug Design of Dongguan City, Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs of Guangdong Province, School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Medical University) Y Yuanxiang Wang (Balance-Based Drug Discovery Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University) P Peiqing Liu (National-Local Joint Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University) J Jing Lu Y Yuqing Huo (Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine) Z Zhiping Liu (State Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials for Intelligent Sensing, Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuit, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Aggregation Science, School of Science)

Abstract

Proliferative retinopathy is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in humans; however, the molecular mechanisms behind the immune cell–mediated retinal angiogenesis remain poorly elucidated. Here, using single-cell RNA sequencing in an oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) model, we identified an enrichment of sorting nexin (SNX)-related pathways, with SNX3, a member of the SNX family that is involved in endosomal sorting and trafficking, being significantly upregulated in the myeloid cell subpopulations of OIR retinas. Immunostaining showed that SNX3 expression is markedly increased in the retinal microglia/macrophages of mice with OIR, which is mainly located within and around the neovascular tufts. Myeloid cell-specific deficiency of Snx3 inhibited retinal neovascularization, hyperpermeability, and dysfunction in OIR mice. Using glutathione S-transferase pull-down, coimmunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescent staining, we found that SNX3 interacted with receptor-interacting protein 1/3 (RIP1 and RIP3). We further demonstrated that RIP1/3 degradation was accelerated in SNX3-deleted microglia/macrophages, causing an inhibition of hypoxia-induced necroptosis and mitochondrial fission, thereby decreasing the production of proinflammatory and proangiogenic factors (FGF2 and MMP12). Moreover, OIR retinas from myeloid cell–specific SNX3 overexpression transgenic mice presented more angiogenic tufts, while RIP1/3 inhibition largely ablated SNX3 overexpression–induced pathological angiogenesis. Based on the structure of SNX3, we identified a small-molecule inhibitor, W1122. Intriguingly, we found that W1122 effectively inhibited retinal angiogenesis in the OIR model, and combination treatment with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) yielded enhanced antiangiogenic effects. Collectively, our findings disclose a link between SNX3 and RIP1/3 signaling and implicate SNX3 in the development of ischemic retinopathy.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 122, Issue 37
Published September 16, 2025
ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher National Academy of Sciences

Authors (16)

J

Jiaojiao Wang

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

C

Chunhong Zhou

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

K

Kai Zhuang

School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University

J

Jiami Zou

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

W

Wanlu Qiu

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

M

Mei Jin

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

W

Weile Ye

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

P

Pinglian Yang

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

Z

Zhihua Zheng

State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Pharmacodynamic Constituents of Traditional Chinese Medicine and New Drugs Research, International Cooperative Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization and Innovative Drug Development of Ministry of Education of China, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University

Q

Qing Zhou

Z

Zunnan Huang

Key Laboratory of Big Data Mining and Precision Drug Design of Guangdong Medical University, Key Laboratory of Computer-Aided Drug Design of Dongguan City, Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs of Guangdong Province, School of Pharmacy, Guangdong Medical University

Y

Yuanxiang Wang

Balance-Based Drug Discovery Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University

P

Peiqing Liu

National-Local Joint Engineering Lab of Druggability and New Drugs Evaluation, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Drug Design and Evaluation, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University

J

Jing Lu

Y

Yuqing Huo

Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine

Z

Zhiping Liu

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials for Intelligent Sensing, Key Laboratory of Organic Integrated Circuit, Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Institute of Molecular Aggregation Science, School of Science