Retinal Aging Transcriptome and Cellular Landscape in Association With the Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

PURPOSE. Age is the main risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the elderly, with limited therapeutic options. METHODS. Here, we analyze the transcriptomic characteristics and cellular landscape of the aging retinas from controls and patients with AMD. RESULTS. We identify the aging genes in the neural retina, which are associated with innate immune response and inflammation. Deconvolution analysis reveals that the estimated proportions of M2 macrophages are significantly increased with both age and AMD severity. Moreover, we find that proportions of Müller glia are significantly increased only with age but not with AMD severity. Several genes associated with both age and AMD severity, particularly C1s and MR1, are strong positively correlated with the proportions of Müller glia. CONCLUSIONS. Our studies expand the genetic and cellular landscape of AMD and provide avenues for further studies on the relationship between age and AMD.