Abstract
Purpose :
Glaucoma is the leading cause of untreatable blindness worldwide and it is characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). RGCs are projecting neurons of the retina in which they harbor their cell bodies and extend their axons out the back of the eye to form the optic nerve to make distal connections with their targets in the brain. In the proximal optic nerve exists a region called the glial lamina (GL), or lamina cribrosa in humans, in which RGC axons are completely unmyelinated. The GL is highly susceptible to insults and axons of this region are the first region to degenerate in glaucoma. The proteomic signature of the GL in healthy and glaucomatous mice has yet to be investigated and could lead to key pathways associated with glaucoma.
Methods :
Using a precise dissection technique, we have been able to accurately isolate the GL and myelinated retro-lamina (RL) of the mouse optic nerve. The specific proteomic content of the GL from wildtype and glaucomatous mice can then be deciphered by mass spectrometry.
Results :
In the GL of wildtype mice, we found an enrichment of proteins responsible for RNA processing. Interestingly, ribosomal proteins were also enriched in this part of the optic nerve suggesting a high activity of protein translation in the GL.
Conclusions :
The GL of wildtype mice have a unique proteomic signature related to RNA processing and ribosomes. Using mass spectrometry, we are now in the process of evaluating if these proteins are altered in the GL of pre-symptomatic glaucomatous mice which would suggest a new degenerative pathway in glaucoma.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.