p58 Is an Endogenous Neuroprotectant for Retinal Ganglion Cells.

p58 is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident chaperone playing a critical role in facilitating protein folding and protein homeostasis. Previously, we have demonstrated that p58 is expressed broadly in retinal neurons including retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and loss of p58 results in age-related RGC degeneration. In the present study, we investigate the role of p58 in neuroprotection by and studies using primary RGC culture and two well-established disease-relevant RGC injury models: retinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and microbead-induced ocular hypertension.