SHMT2 overexpression improves glaucoma by enhancing mitophagy in retinal ganglion cells through promoting the phospho of PINK1.

Summary: Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can lead to blindness. It happens when special nerve cells in the eye, called retinal ganglion cells, get damaged and die. A big reason these cells die is that they forget how to clean up their own damaged parts—a recycling process called "mitophagy."

Scientists found that a specific protein named SHMT2 is lower than normal in eyes with glaucoma. When researchers boosted the levels of SHMT2 in mice, it acted like a switch. It turned on another helper protein called PINK1, which successfully restarted the cell's cleanup process. This protected the eye cells and helped keep the retina thick and healthy. Boosting SHMT2 could be a promising new way to treat glaucoma in the future!