Landowski, M., S. Grindel, P. Shahi, A. Johnson, D. Western, A. Race, F. Shi, J. Benson, M. Gao, E. Santoirre, W. Lee, S. Ikeda, B. Pattnaik, and A. Ikeda. Modulation of Tmem135 Leads to Retinal Pigmented Epithelium Pathologies in Mice. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 2020, p. PubMed Text.
Abstract
Purpose: Aging is a critical risk factor for the development of retinal diseases, but how aging perturbs ocular homeostasis and contributes to disease is unknown. We identified transmembrane protein 135 (Tmem135) as a gene important for regulating retinal aging and mitochondrial dynamics in mice. Overexpression of Tmem135 causes mitochondrial fragmentation and pathologies in the hearts of mice. In this study, we examine the eyes of mice overexpressing wild-type Tmem135 (Tmem135 TG) and compare their phenotype to Tmem135 mutant mice.