Quantitative Proteomics of Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium Reveals Key Regulators for the Pathogenesis of Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 7;24(4):3252. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043252. ABSTRACT Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in elderly people, with limited treatment options available for most patients. AMD involves the death of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor cells, with mitochondria dysfunction being a critical early event. In the current study, […]
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Pathogenesis Underlying Inherited Retinal Dystrophies
Biomolecules. 2023 Feb 1;13(2):271. doi: 10.3390/biom13020271. ABSTRACT Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are congenital retinal degenerative diseases that have various inheritance patterns, including dominant, recessive, X-linked, and mitochondrial. These diseases are most often the result of defects in rod and/or cone photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium function, development, or both. The genes associated with these diseases, […]
Mitochondria-Targeted Curcumin: A Potent Antibacterial Agent against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus with a Possible Intracellular ROS Accumulation as the Mechanism of Action
Antibiotics (Basel). 2023 Feb 16;12(2):401. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics12020401. ABSTRACT Mitocurcumin (a triphenylphosphonium curcumin derivative) was previously reported as a selective antitumoral compound on different cellular lines, as well as a potent bactericidal candidate. In this study, the same compound showed strong antimicrobial efficacy against different strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The minimum inhibitory concentration was […]
Mitochondrial Open Reading Frame of the 12S rRNA Type-c: Potential Therapeutic Candidate in Retinal Diseases
Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Feb 18;12(2):518. doi: 10.3390/antiox12020518. ABSTRACT Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c (MOTS-c) is the most unearthed peptide encoded by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). It is an important regulator of the nuclear genome during times of stress because it promotes an adaptive stress response to maintain cellular homeostasis. Identifying MOTS-c specific […]
The Anti-Aging Hormone Klotho Promotes Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cell Viability and Metabolism by Activating the AMPK/PGC-1α Pathway
Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Feb 5;12(2):385. doi: 10.3390/antiox12020385. ABSTRACT Initially discovered by Makuto Kuro-o in 1997, Klotho is a putative aging-suppressor gene when overexpressed and accelerates aging when deleted in mice. Previously, we showed that α-Klotho regulates retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) functions and protects against oxidative stress. However, the mechanisms by which Klotho influences RPE and […]
TRAP1 Is Expressed in Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells and Is Required to Maintain their Energetic Status
Antioxidants (Basel). 2023 Feb 4;12(2):381. doi: 10.3390/antiox12020381. ABSTRACT Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss and blindness in elderly people worldwide. The damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) triggered by oxidative stress plays a central role in the onset and progression of AMD and results from the excessive accumulation […]
Enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis promotes neuroprotection in human pluripotent stem cell derived retinal ganglion cells
Commun Biol. 2023 Feb 24;6(1):218. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04576-w. ABSTRACT Mitochondrial dysfunctions are widely afflicted in central nervous system (CNS) disorders with minimal understanding on how to improve mitochondrial homeostasis to promote neuroprotection. Here we have used human stem cell differentiated retinal ganglion cells (hRGCs) of the CNS, which are highly sensitive towards mitochondrial dysfunctions due to […]
Vitreal Concentrations of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients with Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment
J Clin Med. 2023 Feb 5;12(4):1259. doi: 10.3390/jcm12041259. ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to evaluate the concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the vitreous humor of patients with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). This is a prospective case control study. Eighteen patients with primary RRD without proliferative vitreoretinopathy C (PVR C) […]
Harel Yoon syndrome: a novel mutation in ATAD3A gene and expansion of the clinical spectrum
Ophthalmic Genet. 2023 Mar 1:1-8. doi: 10.1080/13816810.2023.2183223. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Harel-Yoon syndrome (HAYOS) is a recently described neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by psychomotor delay, truncal hypotonia, appendicular spasticity, and peripheral neuropathy. It is caused by mutations in ATAD3A gene located on chromosome 1p.36.33 whose functions include mitochondrial DNA stabilization, the regulation of mitochondrial […]
Rescuing cellular function in Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy by healthy exogenous mitochondrial internalization
Sci Rep. 2023 Feb 28;13(1):3380. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-30383-8. ABSTRACT Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is characterized by an accelerated loss of corneal endothelial cells. Since the function of these cells is to maintain the cornea in a state of deturgescence necessary for its transparency, the depletion of corneal endothelial cells ultimately causes corneal edema and irreversible […]