MiR-204/211 in RPE/photoreceptor crosstalk: an intricate relationship
Il 08/03/2019 ore 14.30 - 15.30
Sala Conferenze Cnr, Area della Ricerca Napoli1, via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli
Ivan Conte, from the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (Tigem), Napoli, Italy, will give a seminar on 'MiR-204/211 in RPE/photoreceptor crosstalk: an intricate relationship'.
Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) are one of the major causes of blindness in industrialized countries. They are characterized by progressive dysfunction and death of retinal photoreceptor cells. Although more than 100 IRD responsible genes have been identified to date, there is strong evidence for the presence of many others that still need to be identified. Furthermore, we are still far both from the complete understanding of processes driving photoreceptor cell death progression and efficient therapy. Accumulating evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of short non-coding RNAs that control the expression levels of their target genes, play a key role in the control of fundamental biological processes in both physiological and pathological conditions. We have recently identified members of the miR-204/211 miRNA family as key players in RPE/retina crosstalk, whose absence causes a progressive death of photoreceptor cells in both KO mouse and medaka models. Moreover, we described the identification of a dominant mutation in miR-204 and demonstrated the functional significance of this mutation in inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) in humans. In order to gain insight into a better understanding of the role of this miRNA family, by applying gain- and loss-of-function studies we further established that miR-204/211 has a significant impact on the cell clearance in RPE/photoreceptor crosstalk. Our results represent an exhaustive example of the biological relevance of miRNAs in eye development and function, which is expected to have a high relevance to the study of the pathological mechanisms affecting these tissues and to design future therapies. This is a crucial point, as the devastating outcome of retinal diseases, particularly those associated to severe and progressive lipofuscin accumulation, and the lack of an effective therapy, represent an important and unmet medical need.
Organizzato da:
Cnr-Ibp
Referente organizzativo:
Daniela Corda
Cnr-Istituto di biochimica delle proteine
Via Pietro Castellino 111, 80131 Napoli, Italy
d.corda@ibp.cnr.it
Modalità di accesso: ingresso libero
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