Abstract
Purpose:
Diabetic retinopathy is a severe complication leading to visual dysfunction. The present study addressed the contribution of tonicity response element binding protein (TonEBP) to retinal neuronal cell death in diabetic retinopathy (DR).
Methods:
Diabetes was induced in C57BL/6 mice by five consecutive intraperitoneal injections of 55 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ). Control mice received vehicle (phosphate-buffered saline). All mice were killed 2 months after injections, and the extent of cell death, and the protein expression levels of TonEBP and aldose reductase (AR) were examined.
Results:
The TonEBP and AR protein levels and the death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were significantly increased in the retinas of diabetic mice compared with controls 2 months after the induction of diabetes. Terminal deoxy-nucleotidyl transferase (TdT) - mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive signals co-localized with TonEBP immunoreactive RGCs.
Conclusions:
The present data show that AR and TonEBP are upregulated in the DR and TonEBP may contribute to apoptosis of retinal neurons in the DR.
Keywords: 499 diabetic retinopathy •
739 transcription factors •
426 apoptosis/cell death