Mark Kleinman, M.D., is the corresponding author of a publication in the journal Aging Cell. The article, “Histone deficiency and hypoacetylation in the aging retinal pigment epithelium,” provides valuable insights into the involvement of histone loss and hypoacetylation in the normal aging process of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and further elucidates the complex biology of the aging retina.
Age-related diseases of the eye negatively impact many older individuals, limiting independent living, lowering one’s quality of life, and increasing medical burden among affected populations. Dr. Kleinman, his lab, and collaborators are investigating the role of epigenetic dysregulation of gene expression in the aging retina and discovered that histones may be a potential therapeutic target to reverse retinal aging and in other age-related eye diseases, including macular degeneration. Dr. Kleinman states, “Elucidating the molecular mechanisms that drive RPE aging is critical to our fundamental scientific understanding of cellular longevity and to developing novel effective therapies for age-related retinal diseases. Our study provides substantial evidence linking histone loss and hypoacetylation of histones in the aging RPE and sheds light on the potential epigenetic mechanisms underlying age-related loss of RPE cell viability and function.”
Dr. Kleinman is a Professor in the Department of Surgery and is a CIIDI member.His lab members are Sushil K. Dubey, Ph.D., Rashmi Dubey, Ph.D., Kyung Sik Jung MS, and Winjian (Vincent Tian) M3 at ETSU Quillen College of Medicine.
The complete article can be found here: Investigate
Authors (CIIDI Member in bold.) Sushil K. Dubey, Rashmi Dubey, Subhash C. Prajapati, Kyungsik Jung, Kabhilan Mohan, Xinan Liu, Jacob Roney, Wenjian Tian, Jennifer Abney, Michelle M. Giarmarco, Alvaro G. Hernandez, Jinze Liu, Mark E. Kleinman