Extracellular Redox Control of Cell Survival Pathways in the RPE
Principal Investigator
Project Summary
An important pathological change of AMD is the degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. Previous studies have demonstrated that oxidative stress contributes to the degenerative process of the RPE, and that risk factors of AMD, such as aging and smoking, are also associated with increased systemic oxidative stress. Dr. Cai intends to characterize how a newly identified protein, FKBP38, may function to protect the RPE against oxidative stress. Although previous studies have shown FKBP38 to be a potent inhibitor of cell death, its role in AMD has never been studied.
Publications
Chen Y., Sternberg P. and Cai J. (2008) Characterization of a Bcl-XL interacting protein, FKBP8, and its splicing variant in human RPE cells. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 49:1721-1727. 
Chen Y., Sternberg P. and Cai J. (2007) Splicing Variants of human FKBP8 gene in oxidant-induced apoptosis. Toxicologist 96:SOT Abstract 299. Chen Y., Foon J., Cai J. and Sternberg P. (2008) Immunosuppressor FK506 enhances IFN- stimulated complement factor H expression in the RPE. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 49:ARVO Abstract 5165. [conference abstract]
First published on: June 11, 2008
Last modified on: April 16, 2024