Ocular Ciliopathies: genetic and mechanistic insights into developing therapies.

This article focuses on the complexities associated with ocular ciliopathies - a class of debilitating disorders of the eye caused by ciliary dysfunction. Ciliated cell types have been identified in both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Photoreceptors (rods and cones) are the most studied ciliated neurons in the retina, which is located in the posterior eye. The photoreceptors contain a specialized light-sensing outer segment, or cilium. Any defects in the development or maintenance of the outer segment can result in severe retinal ciliopathies, such as retinitis pigmentosa and Leber congenital amaurosis. A role of cilia in the cell types involved in regulating aqueous fluid outflow in the anterior segment of the eye has also been recognized. Defects in these cell types are frequently associated with some forms of glaucoma. Here, we will discuss the significance of understanding the genetic heterogeneity and the pathogenesis of ocular ciliopathies to develop suitable treatment strategies for these blinding disorders. PMID: 30221600 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Medicinal Chemistry - Category: Chemistry Authors: Tags: Curr Med Chem Source Type: research