The AKT2/SIRT5/TFEB pathway as a potential therapeutic target in non-neovascular AMD

Non-neovascular or dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multi-factorial disease with degeneration of the aging retinal-pigmented epithelium (RPE) as a central pathogenic driver. Lysosomes play a crucial role in RPE health due to their involvement in phagocytosis and autophagy, which are regulated by transcription factor EB/E3 (TFEB/E3). Disruption in these processes can accelerate aging disorders, like AMD. Here we tried to ascertain if upregulation of AKT2 in the RPE cells triggers abnormalities lysosomal/autophagy processes and mitochondrial function culminating into an early AMD-like phenotype using mouse and in vitro "disease in a dish" models as tools. Understanding changes in autophagy genes in RPE cells from WT and Akt2 KI mice