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Proteins that may play role in trabecular outflow identified
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Two genes known to be involved in bone physiology are also involved in the outflow of fluid through the trabecular meshwork, according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Teresa Borrás, MD, and colleagues measured what genes were turned on or off in the trabecular meshwork after IOP was increased. They identified three genes in particular – two of which are involved in bone physiology (the matrix Gla protein and perlecan). One protein known to alter cell shape, the gene for spectrin, was turned off.
When spectrin is switched off, cells are more easily damaged, Dr. Borrás said in a press release from the university.
“It appears that these proteins help keep the trabecular meshwork soft, which would make the outflow of fluid easier and help to maintain normal pressure,” she said.
This discovery may lead to the development of gene therapies for the treatment of glaucoma, she added.