0000000000300650
AUTHOR
James D. Lindsey
A new vicious cycle involving glutamate excitotoxicity, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dynamics
Glutamate excitotoxicity leads to fragmented mitochondria in neurodegenerative diseases, mediated by nitric oxide and S-nitrosylation of dynamin-related protein 1, a mitochondrial outer membrane fission protein. Optic atrophy gene 1 (OPA1) is an inner membrane protein important for mitochondrial fusion. Autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA), caused by mutations in OPA1, is a neurodegenerative disease affecting mainly retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Here, we showed that OPA1 deficiency in an ADOA model influences N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor expression, which is involved in glutamate excitotoxicity and oxidative stress. Opa1enu/+mice show a slow progressive loss of RGCs, activation …
The role of glia, mitochondria, and the immune system in glaucoma.
Author(s): Tezel, Gulgun; Fourth ARVO/Pfizer Ophthalmics Research Institute Conference Working Group