Proteomics analysis of the corneal amyloid disaggregation effects by brain chaperone L-PGDS

TGFBIp-related corneal dystrophy (CD) is the most common form of stromal corneal dystrophy. Although CD is a group of inheritable and progressive corneal diseases, non-inheritable cases of corneal amyloid deposition are reported. TGFBIp-CD is characterized by the accumulation of insoluble protein deposits consisting smaller proteolytic fragments of TGFBIp in the corneal tissues, eventually leading to progressive corneal opacity. Maximum density of these aggregates is in the corneal center implicating the local absence of amyloid controlling factors. Currently, no other treatment options are available besides the surgical replacement of the affected corneal tissues with a donor’s cornea. Here we show that neuroprotective ATP-independent amyloid β chaperone L-PGDS abundant in cerebrospinal fluid but absent in the corneal tissues can effectively disaggregate amyloids in vitro and in the surgically excised human cornea of patients with TGFBIp-CD.