Distinct signature of altered homeostasis in aging rod photoreceptors: implications for retinal diseases.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Advanced age contributes to clinical manifestations of many retinopathies and represents a major risk factor for age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the elderly. Rod photoreceptors are especially vulnerable to genetic defects and changes in microenvironment, and are among the first neurons to die in normal aging and in many retinal degenerative diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying rod photoreceptor vulnerability and potential biomarkers of the aging process in this highly specialized cell type are unknown.

Methodology/principal findings

To discover aging-associated adaptations that may influence rod function, we have generated gene expression profiles of purified rod photoreceptors from mouse retina at y

SUBMITTER: Parapuram SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2975639 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature