Dysfunctional autophagy in RPE, a contributing factor in age-related macular degeneration.

ABSTRACT: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease and a major cause of blindness in the developed world. Owing to its complexity and the lack of an adequate human model that recapitulates key aspects of the disease, the molecular mechanisms of AMD pathogenesis remain poorly understood. Here we show that cultured human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) from AMD donors (AMD RPE) are functionally impaired and exhibit distinct phenotypes compared with RPE cultured from normal donors (normal RPE). Accumulation of lipid droplets and glycogen granules, disintegration of mitochondria, and an increase in autophagosomes were observed in AMD RPE cultures. Compared with normal RPE, AMD RPE exhibit increased susceptibility to oxidative stress, produce higher levels of rea

SUBMITTER: Golestaneh N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5386365 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature