| First Author | Ruebsam A | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | JCI Insight | Volume | 3 |
| Issue | 4 | PubMed ID | 29467334 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:315969 | Mgi Id | MGI:6831923 |
| Doi | 10.1172/jci.insight.97919 | Citation | Ruebsam A, et al. (2018) A specific phosphorylation regulates the protective role of alphaA-crystallin in diabetes. JCI Insight 3(4) |
| abstractText | Neurodegeneration is a central aspect of the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, the primary ocular complication associated with diabetes. While progress has been made to improve the vascular perturbations associated with diabetic retinopathy, there are still no treatment options to counteract the neuroretinal degeneration associated with diabetes. Our previous work suggested that the molecular chaperones alpha-crystallins could be involved in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy; however, the role and regulation of alpha-crystallins remained unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated the neuroprotective role of alphaA-crystallin during diabetes and its regulation by its phosphorylation on residue 148. We further characterized the dual role of alphaA-crystallin in neurons and glia, its essential role for neuronal survival, and its direct dependence on phosphorylation on this residue. These findings support further evaluation of alphaA-crystallin as a treatment option to promote neuron survival in diabetic retinopathy and neurodegenerative diseases in general. |
