title: Effects of donor age on proteasome activity and senescence in trabecular meshwork cells.
abstract: The mechanisms involved in the progressive malfunction of the trabecular meshwork (TM) in glaucoma are not yet understood. To study age-related changes in human TM cells, we isolated primary TM cell cultures from young (ages 9, 14, and 25) and old (ages 66, 70, and 73) donors, and compared levels of oxidized proteins, autofluorescence, proteasome function, and markers for cellular senescence. TM cells from old donors showed a 3-fold increase in oxidized proteins and a 7.5-fold decrease of proteasome activity. Loss of proteasome function was not associated with decreased proteasome content but with partial replacement of the proteolytic subunit PSMB5 with the inducible subunit LMP7. Cells from old donors also demonstrated features characteristic of cellular senescence associated with phosphorylation of p38MAPK but only a modest increase in p53. These data suggest that age-related proteasome inhibition and cellular senescence could contribute to the pathophysiological alterations of the TM in glaucoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caballero
authors.forename: Paloma B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Liton
authors.forename: Pratap
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Challa
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002102:Cadaver; D002455:Cell Division; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D014019:Tissue Donors; D014129:Trabecular Meshwork / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex