Why autophagy is good for retinal ganglion cells?

Abstract

Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that promotes the degradation and recycling of cellular components. Proteins, lipids, and even whole organelles are engulfed in autophagosomes and delivered to the lysosome for elimination. In response to stress, autophagy mediates the degradation of cell components, which are recycled to generate the nutrients and building blocks required to sustain cellular homeostasis. Moreover, it has an important role in cellular quality control, particularly in neurons, in which the total burden of altered proteins and damaged organelles cannot be reduced by redistribution to daughter cells through cell division. Autophagy occurs in all cells and tissues, and it is regulated by the Atg genes. The importance of this pathway has been recently recognized by the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine award to Professor Yoshinori Ohsumi who was the discoverer of the first Atg genes in yeast in the 1990s. Research has only begun to examine the role of autophagy in the visual system. Both the retina and the eye are exposed to a variety of environmental insults and stressors, including genetic mutations and age-associated alterations that impair their function. Here, we review studies that have sought to explain autophagy's importance for retinal ganglion cells, and their implications for diseases like glaucoma and optic neuropathies.