Retinal pigment epithelium transcriptome analysis in chronic smoking reveals a suppressed innate immune response and activation of differentiation pathways.

ABSTRACT: Cigarette smoking, a powerful mixture of chemical oxidants, is the strongest environmental risk factor for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness among the elderly in western societies. Despite intensive study, the full impact of smoking on the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a central cell type involved in AMD pathobiology, remains unknown. The relative contribution of the known dysfunctional pathways to AMD, at what stage they are most pathogenic, or whether other processes are relevant, is poorly understood, and furthermore, whether smoking activates them, is unknown. We performed global RNA-sequencing of the RPE from C57BL/6J mice exposed to chronic cigarette smoke for 6 months to identify potential pathogenic and cytoprotective pathways

SUBMITTER: Wang L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7434665 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature