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Review
. 2021 Feb 27;11(3):189.
doi: 10.3390/life11030189.

The Role of Autophagy in Eye Diseases

José A Fernández-Albarral  1 , Esther de Julián-López  1 , Carmen Soler-Domínguez  1 , Rosa de Hoz  1   2   3 , Inés López-Cuenca  1 , Elena Salobrar-García  1   2   3 , José M Ramírez  1   2   4 , María D Pinazo-Durán  2   5 , Juan J Salazar  1   2   3 , Ana I Ramírez  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Autophagy in Eye Diseases

José A Fernández-Albarral et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Autophagy is a catabolic process that ensures homeostasis in the cells of our organism. It plays a crucial role in protecting eye cells against oxidative damage and external stress factors. Ocular pathologies of high incidence, such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy are of multifactorial origin and are associated with genetic, environmental factors, age, and oxidative stress, among others; the latter factor is one of the most influential in ocular diseases, directly affecting the processes of autophagy activity. Alteration of the normal functioning of autophagy processes can interrupt organelle turnover, leading to the accumulation of cellular debris and causing physiological dysfunction of the eye. The aim of this study is to review research on the role of autophagy processes in the main ocular pathologies, which have a high incidence and result in high costs for the health system. Considering the role of autophagy processes in cell homeostasis and cell viability, the control and modulation of autophagy processes in ocular pathologies could constitute a new therapeutic approach.

Keywords: AMD; autophagy; cataract; diabetic retinopathy; glaucoma; ocular pathology.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the different types of autophagy. (A) Macro-autophagy: the material to be degraded is enclosed in a double-membraned cytosolic vesicle called the autophagosome. (B) Micro-autophagy: cytosol components are enclosed by lysosomes through membrane invaginations. (C) Chaperone-mediated autophagy: proteins are detected by the lysosome membrane through a chaperone called hsc70. This complex binds with lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP-2A) and is introduced into the lysosome. (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of the different phases of autolysosome formation. (A) Initiation/nucleation: a deficiency of nutrients induces autophagy and with it the formation of an insulating membrane to envelop damaged proteins and organelles. (B,C) Elongation and maturation: the phagophore elongates its double membrane to become a fully-closed mature autophagosome. (D,E) Fusion and degradation: the autophagosome fuses with a lysosome to form an autolysosome, digesting the material by enzymes (lipases and proteases). (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scheme of the main autophagy changes related to glaucoma. IOP: intraocular pressure; TM cells: trabecular meshwork cells; RGCs: retinal ganglion cells. (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scheme of the main autophagy changes related to cataract. (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Scheme of the main autophagy changes related to diabetic retinopathy (DR). RPE: retinal pigment epithelium. (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Scheme of the main autophagy changes related to age related macular degeneration (AMD). RPE: retinal pigment epithelium. (Created in part with smart.servier.com, accessed date 20 February 2021).
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