---
_id: '9761'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: 'The important roles of mitochondrial function and dysfunction in the process
    of neurodegeneration are widely acknowledged. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) appear
    to be a highly vulnerable neuronal cell type in the central nervous system with
    respect to mitochondrial dysfunction but the actual reasons for this are still
    incompletely understood. These cells have a unique circumstance where unmyelinated
    axons must bend nearly 90° to exit the eye and then cross a translaminar pressure
    gradient before becoming myelinated in the optic nerve. This region, the optic
    nerve head, contains some of the highest density of mitochondria present in these
    cells. Glaucoma represents a perfect storm of events occurring at this location,
    with a combination of changes in the translaminar pressure gradient and reassignment
    of the metabolic support functions of supporting glia, which appears to apply
    increased metabolic stress to the RGC axons leading to a failure of axonal transport
    mechanisms. However, RGCs themselves are also extremely sensitive to genetic mutations,
    particularly in genes affecting mitochondrial dynamics and mitochondrial clearance.
    These mutations, which systemically affect the mitochondria in every cell, often
    lead to an optic neuropathy as the sole pathologic defect in affected patients.
    This review summarizes knowledge of mitochondrial structure and function, the
    known energy demands of neurons in general, and places these in the context of
    normal and pathological characteristics of mitochondria attributed to RGCs. '
acknowledgement: The authors are grateful to Kazuya Oikawa and Gillian McLellan for
  generously sharing some of their data for this review, and to Janis Eells for helpful
  comments on the manuscript.
article_number: '1593'
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
author:
- first_name: Nicole A.
  full_name: Muench, Nicole A.
  last_name: Muench
- first_name: Sonia
  full_name: Patel, Sonia
  last_name: Patel
- first_name: Margaret E
  full_name: Maes, Margaret E
  id: 3838F452-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Maes
  orcid: 0000-0001-9642-1085
- first_name: Ryan J.
  full_name: Donahue, Ryan J.
  last_name: Donahue
- first_name: Akihiro
  full_name: Ikeda, Akihiro
  last_name: Ikeda
- first_name: Robert W.
  full_name: Nickells, Robert W.
  last_name: Nickells
citation:
  ama: Muench NA, Patel S, Maes ME, Donahue RJ, Ikeda A, Nickells RW. The influence
    of mitochondrial dynamics and function on retinal ganglion cell susceptibility
    in optic nerve disease. <i>Cells</i>. 2021;10(7). doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593">10.3390/cells10071593</a>
  apa: Muench, N. A., Patel, S., Maes, M. E., Donahue, R. J., Ikeda, A., &#38; Nickells,
    R. W. (2021). The influence of mitochondrial dynamics and function on retinal
    ganglion cell susceptibility in optic nerve disease. <i>Cells</i>. MDPI. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593">https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593</a>
  chicago: Muench, Nicole A., Sonia Patel, Margaret E Maes, Ryan J. Donahue, Akihiro
    Ikeda, and Robert W. Nickells. “The Influence of Mitochondrial Dynamics and Function
    on Retinal Ganglion Cell Susceptibility in Optic Nerve Disease.” <i>Cells</i>.
    MDPI, 2021. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593">https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593</a>.
  ieee: N. A. Muench, S. Patel, M. E. Maes, R. J. Donahue, A. Ikeda, and R. W. Nickells,
    “The influence of mitochondrial dynamics and function on retinal ganglion cell
    susceptibility in optic nerve disease,” <i>Cells</i>, vol. 10, no. 7. MDPI, 2021.
  ista: Muench NA, Patel S, Maes ME, Donahue RJ, Ikeda A, Nickells RW. 2021. The influence
    of mitochondrial dynamics and function on retinal ganglion cell susceptibility
    in optic nerve disease. Cells. 10(7), 1593.
  mla: Muench, Nicole A., et al. “The Influence of Mitochondrial Dynamics and Function
    on Retinal Ganglion Cell Susceptibility in Optic Nerve Disease.” <i>Cells</i>,
    vol. 10, no. 7, 1593, MDPI, 2021, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071593">10.3390/cells10071593</a>.
  short: N.A. Muench, S. Patel, M.E. Maes, R.J. Donahue, A. Ikeda, R.W. Nickells,
    Cells 10 (2021).
date_created: 2021-08-01T22:01:22Z
date_published: 2021-06-25T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2023-08-10T14:14:53Z
day: '25'
ddc:
- '570'
department:
- _id: SaSi
doi: 10.3390/cells10071593
external_id:
  isi:
  - '000678193300001'
  pmid:
  - '34201955'
file:
- access_level: open_access
  checksum: e0497ce5c77fa3b65a538c7d6e0f6c66
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: cziletti
  date_created: 2021-08-04T14:01:30Z
  date_updated: 2021-08-04T14:01:30Z
  file_id: '9768'
  file_name: 2021_Cells_Muench.pdf
  file_size: 4555611
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2021-08-04T14:01:30Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
intvolume: '        10'
isi: 1
issue: '7'
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
month: '06'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
pmid: 1
publication: Cells
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - '20734409'
publication_status: published
publisher: MDPI
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: The influence of mitochondrial dynamics and function on retinal ganglion cell
  susceptibility in optic nerve disease
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0)
  short: CC BY (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 4359f0d1-fa6c-11eb-b949-802e58b17ae8
volume: 10
year: '2021'
...