Retinitis pigmentosa is the most important hereditary eye disease and there is currently no cure available. Although mutations were found in more than 40 genes in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, only two genes have thus far been found to be responsible for one of the most severe forms of the disease, X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. In this review, we highlight the current knowledge about the two gene products RPGR and RP2 and try to link genetic data from patients with functional data on the corresponding proteins. Based on the fact that recent gene therapeutic approaches for eye diseases are at a very promising stage, we discuss the potential of RPGR and RP2 as drug targets to treat retinitis pigmentosa.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1517/14728220903225016 | DOI Listing |
Nat Commun
January 2025
Center for Synaptic Neuroscience, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
The lack of effective therapies for visual restoration in Retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration has led to the development of new strategies, such as optogenetics and retinal prostheses. However, visual restoration is poor due to the massive light-evoked activation of retinal neurons, regardless of the segregation of visual information in ON and OFF channels, which is essential for contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution. Here, we show that Ziapin2, a membrane photoswitch that modulates neuronal capacitance and excitability in a light-dependent manner, is capable of reinstating, in mouse and rat genetic models of photoreceptor degeneration, brisk and sluggish ON, OFF, and ON-OFF responses in retinal ganglion cells evoked by full-field stimuli, with reactivation of their excitatory and inhibitory conductances.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmol Retina
January 2025
Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Visual Impairment and Restoration, Shanghai, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Myopia and Related Eye Diseases; Key Laboratory of Myopia and Related Eye Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, China.
Cells
January 2025
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary disease characterized by progressive vision loss ultimately leading to blindness. This condition is initiated by mutations in genes expressed in retinal cells, resulting in the degeneration of rod photoreceptors, which is subsequently followed by the loss of cone photoreceptors. Mutations in various genes expressed in the retina are associated with RP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Sci
January 2025
Department of Basic & Translational Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase E (INPP5E) is a 5-phosphatase critically involved in diverse physiological processes, including embryonic development, neurological function, immune regulation, hemopoietic cell dynamics, and macrophage proliferation, differentiation, and phagocytosis. Mutations in cause Joubert and Meckel-Gruber syndromes in humans; these are characterized by brain malformations, microphthalmia, situs inversus, skeletal abnormalities, and polydactyly. Recent studies have demonstrated the key role of INPP5E in governing intracellular processes like endocytosis, exocytosis, vesicular trafficking, and membrane dynamics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmic Genet
January 2025
Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Background: The phenotypic variability of inherited conditions can be due to several factors including environmental, epigenetic, and genetic. One of those genetic factors is the presence of modifying loci which alter the phenotypic expression of a primary disease or phenotype-causing variant. Modifiers are known to affect penetrance, dominance, expressivity, and pleiotropy of disease.
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