Although there have been studies conducted on cornea and retina growth and development, postnatal gene expression studies on sclera growth during postnatal growth has not been well characterised. Given that the mouse genome has 85% homology to the human genome and has been completely sequenced, mouse model for the study of ocular growth has advantages over other animal models. Thus, we aimed to study the biology and genetics behind sclera growth during post-natal development in Balb/cJ mice as a means to understand genetic changes that cause scleral growth and development during post-natal eye development
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View SamplesGene Expression profiling of pterygium. Analysis of conjunctiva and pterygium samples.
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View SamplesHuman conjunctival cell lines are useful tools for modeling ocular surface disease and evaluation of ocular drugs. Here we demonstrate that the IOBA-NHC and the ChWK conjunctival epithelial cell lines show, using an unbiased gene microarray approach, unique gene expression signatures that differ from primary conjunctival epithelial cells (PCEC) and conjunctival tissue. Globally, the expression profile obtained with the Affymetrix U133A chip (>22000 genes) from PCEC was clustered more closely to conjunctival tissue than either of the 2 cell lines. However, when restricted to Gene Ontology sub-categories: cellular defense, viral replication/cycling, antigen presentation, anti-oxidant pathways and ubiquitin ligase complex, the cell lines correlated reasonably well to PCEC (r > 0.70). In the category response to inflammation, correlation of cell lines to PCEC was poor (r = -0.012 and 0.041 for IOBA-NHC and ChWK respectively). In general, the expression profile in IOBA-NHC cells was better correlated to PCEC than the ChWK cells. This was statistically significant (p<0.05) when one considers all the genes on the chip, or for proteins in the extracellular region, response to wounding, stress, lipid, protein and organic acid metabolism, development and differentiation. Our results are useful for the choice of conjunctival cell lines, if necessary, in future experiments, to increase validity of extrapolation to clinical scenarios.
Comparison of gene expression profiles of conjunctival cell lines with primary cultured conjunctival epithelial cells and human conjunctival tissue.
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View SamplesOur objective was to determine the nature and extent of androgen regulation of gene expression in the female lacrimal, meibomian,and submandibular glands, and to explore the degree to which this control is the same as in male glands.
Influence of testosterone on gene expression in the ovariectomized mouse submandibular gland.
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View SamplesUsing a hitherto uncharacterized knockout mouse model of Notch 3, a Notch signaling receptor paralogue highly expressed in vascular SMCs, we uncover a striking susceptibility to ischemic stroke upon challenge. Cellular and molecular analyses of vascular SMCs derived from these animals associate Notch 3 activity to the expression of specific gene targets, whereas genetic rescue experiments unambiguously link Notch 3 function in vessels to the ischemic phenotype.
Notch signaling functions in retinal pericyte survival.
Sex, Specimen part
View SamplesPurpose. How vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of the wet-surfaced phenotype at the ocular surface is not well understood. We sought to identify vitamin A responsive genes in ocular surface epithelia using gene microarray analysis of cultures of a human conjunctival epithelial cell line (HCjE) grown with all-trans-retinoic acid (RA). The analysis showed that the membrane-associated mucin MUC16 was induced by RA and that secretory phospholipase A2 Group IIA (sPLA2-IIA), the gene most upregulated by RA, was induced earlier. Since eicosanoids, metabolites of arachidonic acid, which is produced by sPLA2 catalysis of membrane phospholipids, have been demonstrated to affect mucin production, we sought to determine if the sPLA2 induction in HCjE cells was associated with RA induction of MUC16.
Effect of retinoic acid on gene expression in human conjunctival epithelium: secretory phospholipase A2 mediates retinoic acid induction of MUC16.
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View SamplesGoblet cell numbers decrease within the conjunctival epithelium in drying and cicatrizing ocular surface diseases. Factors regulating goblet cell differentiation in conjunctival epithelium are unknown. Recent data indicate that the transcription factor SAM-pointed domain epithelial-specific transcription factor (Spdef) is essential for goblet cell differentiation in tracheobronchial and gastrointestinal epithelium of mice. Using Spdef -/- mice, we determined that Spdef is required for conjunctival goblet cell differentiation and that Spdef -/- mice, which lack conjunctival goblet cells, have significantly increased corneal surface fluorescein staining and tear volume, a phenotype consistent with dry eye.
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Sex, Age, Specimen part
View SamplesRat Retinal Mller cells from diabetic rats (diabetes duration 6 months) compared to Rat Retinal Mller cells from healthy rats. Diabetes was induced by streptozotozine. Diabetic rats were treated with small doses of insulin to prevent catabolism.
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View SamplesTo date, there is no specific marker for limbal epithelial stem cells. The identification of a marker that is expressed in the limbal epithelium but not in the cornea or conjunctiva epithelium has been a growing need. To search for limbal-specific marker(s), we performed preferential gene profiling in the limbus in direct comparison to that in the cornea and conjunctiva using microarray technique.
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Specimen part
View SamplesDefining the normal and age-dependent HCEnC transcriptome will further refine our understanding of the functional roles that the endothelium plays in the cornea and will provide a basis upon which to compare transcriptomes of normal and dystrophic endothelium for the subsequent development of gene-targeted therapies.
Transcriptome analysis of the human corneal endothelium.
Specimen part
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