Osteopontin accumulates in basal deposits of human eyes with age-related macular degeneration and may serve as a biomarker of aging.

ABSTRACT: A common clinical phenotype of several neurodegenerative and systemic disorders including Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis is the abnormal accumulation of extracellular material, which interferes with routine cellular functions. Similarly, patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among the aged population, present with extracellular lipid- and protein-filled basal deposits in the back of the eye. While the exact mechanism of growth and formation of these deposits is poorly understood, much has been learned from investigating their composition, providing critical insights into AMD pathogenesis, prevention, and therapeutics. We identified human osteopontin (OPN), a phosphoprotein expressed in a variety of tissues in the body, as a newly di

SUBMITTER: Lekwuwa M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8786662 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature