This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disorder that kills retinal ganglion cells and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Our recent data in multiple animal models of glaucoma suggest that this disease is characterized by pathological forms of gamma synuclein (Sncg) that resemble those seen for alpha synuclein in Parkinson's disease. In order to uncover the nature of these Sncg forms, we propose electron and immunoelectron microscopy analyses of the optic nerve head in a mouse model of glaucoma, the DBA/2J mouse, and of axons and terminals of transgenic frogs that overexpress tagged-Sncg in retinal ganglion cells. By demonstrating common cellular pathology in glaucoma and Parkinson's disease, the current studies stand to have a large impact on the current study and future treatment of these two equally common neurodegenerative disorders.
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