The present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. The inventors identified a new key actor of the mechanism underlying the protective role of RdCVF: 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase 2 (PFKFB2). The inventors showed that PFKFB2 is expressed by cones in a rod-dependant manner. In particular, they showed that its expression follows the viability of cones: its expression is lost in an animal model retinitis pigmentosa. The inventors accumulated evidences that PFKFB2, especially its kinase domain, is involved in the mechanism of action of RdCVF. More particularly they showed that transduction of a polynucleotide encoding for PFKFB2 increases cone survival. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of treating a retinal degenerative disease in a subject in need thereof comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a polynucleotide encoding for the PFKFB2 kinase domain.
