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Abstract #8213 Published in IGR 4-3
Expression of optineurin, a glaucoma-linked gene, is influenced by elevated intraocular pressure
Vittitow J; Borras TBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 2002; 298: 67-74
Optineurin (optic neuropathy inducing protein; OPTN) was recently linked to 16.7% of families with primary open-angle glaucoma. The function of OPTN in the eye is not known, but is present in the trabecular meshwork, which is responsible for maintenance of intraocular pressure (IOP). To gain insight into the role of OPTN in the development of glaucoma, the authors studied its expression in response to factors known to be associated with the disease: elevated IOP, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), and dexamethasone (DEX). They performed the treatments in human organ cultures under conditions mimicking physiological pressure. They found OPTN to be significantly upregulated after two, four, and seven days of sustained elevated IOP. OPTN expression is also induced 2.3-fold by TNFα and 2.6-fold by prolonged DEX treatment. These results demonstrate that OPTN is part of the transcriptome responding to glaucomatous insults and support the protective role of this protein in the trabecular meshwork.
J. Vittitow, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Wadsworth Building, Erwin Road, Box 3802, Durham, NC 27710, USA
Classification:
1.2 Population genetics (Part of: 1 General aspects)
