Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
-
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. · Jun 2002
Cataract- and lens-specific upregulation of ARK receptor tyrosine kinase in Emory mouse cataract.
The Emory mouse is a well-characterized model for age-onset cataract. The purpose of the present study was to identify differentially expressed genes between pre- and postcataract Emory mouse lenses. ⋯ The present data confirm that expression of the alphaA-crystallin gene is decreased in cataract in the Emory mouse lens relative to age-matched control lenses and they provide evidence for cataract- and lens-specific upregulation of the ARK receptor tyrosine kinase in the Emory mouse.
-
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. · Jun 2002
Microarray analysis of gene expression patterns during healing of rat corneas after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy.
To characterize changes over time in the genomic expression profile of rat corneas after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), in an effort to better understand the cellular response to injury and the dynamic changes that occur in gene expression patterns as a wound heals. ⋯ Microarray analysis of 1176 identified 588 genes with reproducible patterns of expression in rat corneas on days 3 and 7 after PRK and 73 genes with a threefold change in expression compared with untreated corneas. Hierarchical clustering of these 588 genes identified 10 clusters of genes with very similar patterns of expression. Clustering of genes with similar patterns of expression implies a common regulatory pathway for the genes within a cluster, and identifies potential new targets for regulating corneal wound healing.
-
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. · Jun 2002
Comparative StudyPre- and Postsynaptic Sites of Action of mGluR8a in the mammalian retina.
The distribution of the most recently identified metabotropic glutamate receptor type 8a (mGluR8a) in the mammalian retina is unknown, but it is known to function as a presynaptic autoreceptor in rod photoreceptors. In this study, the localization of mGluR8a in the adult rat, mouse, and rabbit retina and during postnatal development of the rat retina was analyzed. ⋯ These results suggest that mGluR8a is involved in synaptic processing in both plexiform layers and in both the scotopic and photopic pathways in the mammalian retina. The authors propose that, depending on its localization-pre- versus postsynaptic-mGluR8a modulates the release of L-glutamate by photoreceptors and the responses of retinal neurons to inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters, respectively. Furthermore, mGluR8a may have regulatory functions during neuronal development of the mammalian retina.