“There are two major light receptor cells in the mammalian eye: rods and cones. New research by scientists from Duke University have shown that dying cone cells can trigger the demise of healthy rod cells, leading to the loss of vision,” according to Medical News Today. “The study by Kyoung-in Cho and colleagues, published in the journal PLOS Genetics, showed that when a multifunctional protein known as 'Ran-binding protein 2' (RanBP2) is removed from cone cells it causes not only those cells to die but also results in the demise of the healthy rod cells in the eye. The authors also show that the rod and cone cells undergo a cascade of distinct and unusual events as they are dying. The demise of these cells can play a part in diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).” Read more.
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