Retinal Ganglion Cell Apoptosis via Downregulating Survivin by Protocadherin 7 Overexpression

Abstract

Glaucoma is a group of diseases characterized by progressive optic nerve degeneration that results in visual field loss and irreversible blindness. Growing evidences show that retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) apoptosis is an important pathological hallmark of glaucoma. In recent years, protocadherin 7 (Pcdh7) has been recognized as a transmembrane protein that is broadly existed in the nervous system and crucial to the neuronal development. The results of this study represented that upregulating expression of Pcdh7 activates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway in RGCs. However, overexpressing survivin inhibited RGCs apoptosis resulted from upregulation of Pcdh7. According to these data, we can infer that Pcdh7-survivin signaling cascade plays a vital role in RGC apoptosis, and it indicates a promising way to the therapeutic modalities of Glaucoma.