Name:

Barbara Mysona

Mentor:

Sylvia Smith, Ph.D.

Year of Entry:

2002

Education:

1983 B.S. Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University
1985 M.S. Chemical Engineering, The Ohio State University
2002 – present Ph.D. Candidate, Cellular Biology and Anatomy,
Medical College of Georgia

Key Words:

Diabetic retinopathy, eye, transporters, Müller cells, retinal

Paragraph Describing Interests:

I am interested in the relationship between the glial cells and neurons in the central nervous system and how glial cell dysfunction contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. My research looks at the relationship between Müller glial cells and retinal ganaglion cells in the eye where the role of neurodegeneration in the progression of diabetic retinopathy is an area of increasing interest. In diabetic retinopathy, glutamate toxicity and oxidative stress are suspected causes of retinal ganglion cell death. Müller glial cells maintain the low extracellular concenetration of the neurotransmitter glutamate in the retina via the glutamate transporter GLAST. Müller cells also transport glutamate via the glutamate cystine exchanger xc-, that supplies cystine for the production of the antioxidant glutathione. We hypothesize that GLAST glutamate transport and xc- activity are altered in diabetes. Our research focuses, on determining which factors in diabetes affect the function of these two transporters.

Publications:

Master’s Thesis:
Pierce (Mysona), B.A., The Effects of Pluronic Surfactants on Microbial
Coal Desulfurization, The Ohio State University, May 1985

Abstracts - Published
2. Smith, S.B., Van Ells, T.K., Mysona, B.A., Martin, P.M., Roon, P., and
Ganapathy, V. Assessment of retinas of diabetic mice with mild
elevation of plasma homocysteine. Poster, ARVO meeting May 2004.

Abstracts – Submitted
3.Dun, Y., Prasad, P.D., Mysona, B., Van Ells, T.K., Ganapathy, V. and
Smith, S.B. Analysis of folate receptor alpha in ganglion and Müller cells
and folate receptor delta in RPE. Poster, ARVO meeting May 2005

4.Li, W., Siddaramappa, U., Mysona, B., Van Ells, T.K., Ganapathy, V
and Smith, S.B. Expession and function of the glutamine transporter
System N, in retinal Müller cells. Poster, ARVO meeting May 2005

5.Moister, B., Van Ells, T.K., Mysona, B., Roon, P., Ganapathy, V., and
Smith, S.B. Elevated endogous homocysteine leads to ganglion cell
death and disruption of inner nuclear and plexiform layers of the
retina. Poster, ARVO meeting May 2005.

6. Mysona, B.A., Rankin, D., Van Ells, T.K., Ganapathy, V., Smith, S.B.,
Effects of Glucose and insulin on GLAST and Xc- transporter function
in primary mouse Muller cells. Poster, ARVO meeting May 2005

Paper – in preparation

7. Umpathy, Weiguo, L., Mysona, B.A., Ganapathy, V., and Smith, S.B.
Expression and function of the glutamine transporter system N in
retinal Muller cells.