Restoration of Mitochondrial Homeostasis provides Glaucoma Neuroprotection
Prof
. Arupratan Das from Indiana University School of Medicine, USA will join the Targeting Mitochondria 2023 congress and present his study on "Restoration of Mitochondrial Homeostasis provides Glaucoma Neuroprotection".
Neurons are highly energy-demanding due to their constant need for neurotransmission and synaptic activity. Mitochondria are the primary source for cellular energy currency adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and dysfunctional mitochondria present a key pathological condition for the central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as glaucoma, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of the optic nerve are particularly vulnerable to mitochondrial dysfunctions as they need steady supply of ATP for varying frequency of action potential firing through the long unmyelinated axons. Here, using human stem cell differentiated retinal ganglion cells (hRGCs) we have shown hRGCs are efficient in degrading damaged mitochondria and producing simultaneously healthy organelle for maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis.
However, a glaucomatous Optineurin mutant (E50K) hRGCs show high ATP production rate with fewer mitochondrion compared to the wild-type neurons causing mitochondrial swelling and disruption of homeostasis. Remarkably, enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis through pharmacological inhibition of the Tank binding kinase 1 (TBK1) restores energy homeostasis, mitigates mitochondrial swelling with neuroprotection against acute mitochondrial damage for glaucomatous hRGCs, revealing a novel neuroprotection mechanism.
Join Targeting Mitochondria 2023 to learn more about Prof. Arupratan Das's talk. Read more about Prof. Das's research.
Targeting Mitochondria 2023 Congress
October 11-13, 2023 - Berlin, Germany
