Advances in understanding the mechanisms of retinal degenerations

Photoreceptor death is an important contributor to irreversible vision loss worldwide. In this review, I outline our work examining the role that purines, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), have in normal retinal function and in retinal disease. Our work shows that the actions of ATP, mediated by P2X receptors, are expressed in various retinal layers including photoreceptor terminals, and when stimulated by excessive levels of ATP is...