Gene-environment interactions in ocular diseases

Degenerative ocular diseases are widespread in the population and represent a major cause of reversible and irreversible blindness. Scientific evidences have been accumulating supporting the role of genotoxic damage and gene environment interactions in the pathogenesis of these diseases mainly including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and cataract. Glaucoma, in its degenerative form, is characterized by the degeneration of the trabecular meshwork, the tissue of the anterior chamber of the eye devoted to aqueous-humour outflow. Such a degenerative process results in intra-ocular pressure increase and progressive damage of optic nerve head. Oxidative stress and DNA damage play an important role in inducing the degeneration of these well differentiated target tissues in which DNA damage results in a progressive cell loss. Macular degeneration is a common age-related disease affecting the central regions of the retina inducing progressive accumulation of oxidized lipoproteins and neovascularization. Environmental genotoxic risk factors include diet, light, and cigarette smoke paralleled by individual susceptibility as determined by adverse genetic assets. Cataract is a progressive opacity of the crystalline lens resulting from molecular damages induced by various risk factors including UV-containing light. This disease has been related to a failure in antioxidant defences. Experimental study provides evidence that cataract patients possess higher basal level of DNA damage, as evaluated by Comet test, in lymphocytes than controls. This finding is paralleled by the higher susceptibility to oxidative stress observed in the same patients. These novel experimental data further support the role of DNA damage as a main factor contributing to cataract onset. In conclusion, the examined degenerative ocular diseases recognise environmental risk factors often displaying genotoxic attitudes. Whenever these factors target individuals who are susceptible due their genetic assets the results is the onset of a specific eye disease depending on the affected ocular tissue.