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Zinc plays ‘critical role’ in retinosa pigmentosa

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HANOVER, N.H. — The amount of zinc in the body can determine whether a key protein for vision functions properly or not, researchers have found.

John Hwa, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Darthmouth Medical School, based here, found that an inability to bind zinc to rhodopsin can trigger retinitis pigmentosa. Their findings are similar to other researchers’ work linking essential trace metals to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, according to a press release issued by the school.

“We have found if there is not enough zinc in the body or there is a mutation in the zinc binding site, the protein rhodopsin will misfold and break down, triggering cell death, degeneration of the retina and eventually blindness,” Dr. Hwa said in the release.