Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Retinitis pigmentosa: cone photoreceptors starving to death

  • News & Views
  • Published:

From Nature Neuroscience

View current issue Submit your manuscript

In retinitis pigmentosa, rod and cone photoreceptors die. Although rods die as a consequence of rod-specific genetic mutations, there is no clear explanation for the progressive loss of cones. A new study in this issue suggests that changes in the insulin/mTOR pathway and cell starvation can partially account for cone death in this disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Alteration in the insulin/mTOR pathway modulates non–cell autonomous cone degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa.

Kim Caesar

References

  1. Hartong, D.T., Berson, E.L. & Dryja, T.P. Lancet 368, 1795–1809 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Punzo, C., Kornacker, K. & Cepko, C.L. Nat. Neurosci. 11, 44–52 (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Dalke, C. & Graw, J. Exp. Eye Res. 81, 503–512 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Naash, M.I., Hollyfield, J.G., al-Ubaidi, M.R. & Baehr, W. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 5499–5503 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cronin, T., Léveillard, T. & Sahel, J.A. Curr. Gene Ther. 7, 121–129 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ripps, H. Exp. Eye Res. 74, 327–336 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Reiling, J.H. & Sabatini, D.M. Oncogene 25, 6373–6383 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Martínez-Morales, J.R., Rodrigo, I. & Bovolenta, P. Bioessays 26, 766–777 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Chalmel, F. et al. BMC Mol. Biol. 8, 74 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Osakada, F. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. 26, 215–224 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. MacLaren, R.E. et al. Nature 444, 203–207 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Léveillard, T. et al. Nat. Genet. 36, 755–759 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Stearns, G., Evangelista, M., Fadool, J.M. & Brockerhoff, S.E. J. Neurosci. 27, 13866–13874 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Neurobiología Molecular Celular y del Desarrollo, Instituto Cajal, CSIC and CIBER de Enfermedades Raras, Avda. Dr. Arce 37, Madrid, Spain. bovolenta@cajal.csic.es or elsa.cisneros@cajal.csic.es,

    Paola Bovolenta & Elsa Cisneros

Authors
  1. Paola Bovolenta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Elsa Cisneros
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bovolenta, P., Cisneros, E. Retinitis pigmentosa: cone photoreceptors starving to death. Nat Neurosci 12, 5–6 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0109-5

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0109-5

  • Springer Nature America, Inc.

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation