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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jul 4.
Published in final edited form as: Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2020 Feb 24;1866(6):165743. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2020.165743

Figure 3: Unique metabolic responses to noxious stimuli in retinal ganglion cells.

Figure 3:

Because of the extreme energy demand and limited supply of blood to the retina, unique metabolic pathways are used in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) compared to other cell types in response to injury. Left: the Wnt3a pathway is used by RGCs to protect against apoptosis during periods of stress from increased intraocular pressure in glaucoma. Middle: RGCs secrete factors involved in glycolysis, angiogenesis, vasodilation, and erythropoiesis which make them highly resistant to necrosis after hypoxic-ischemic injury. Right: RGCs employ the mTOR, bFGF, and CXCL12 pathways for axonal regeneration. These pathways and other such metabolic pathways may be important for modeling the pathogenesis of LHON.