Microarray and protein analysis of human pterygium

[摘要] Purpose: Pterygium is a sunlight-related, ocular-surface lesion thatcan obscure vision. In order to identify specific genes that may play arole in pterygium pathogenesis, we analyzed the global gene expressionprofile of pterygium in relation to autologous conjunctiva.Methods: Oligonucleotide microarray hybridization was used tocompare the gene expression profile between human whole pterygium andautologous conjunctiva. Selected genes were further characterized byRT-PCR, western blot, and immunohistochemistry, and comparisons weremade with limbal and corneal tissues.Results: Thirty-four genes exhibited a 2 fold or greater differencein expression between human whole pterygium and autologous conjunctiva.Twenty-nine transcripts were increased and five transcripts weredecreased in pterygium. Fibronectin, macrophage-inflammatory protein-4(MIP-4), and lipocalin 2 (oncogene 24p3; NGAL) were increased 9, 5, and2.4 fold, respectively, while Per1 and Ephrin-A1 were decreased 2 foldin pterygium. Western blots showed that fibronectin and MIP-4 wereincreased in pterygium compared to limbus, cornea, and conjunctiva.Immunohistochemical analysis showed fibronectin in the stroma; lipocalin2 in the basal epithelial cells, basement membrane, and extracellularstroma; and MIP-4 in all areas of the pterygium.Conclusions: These data show both novel and previously identifiedextracellular-matrix-related, proinflammatory, angiogenic, fibrogenic,and oncogenic genes expressed in human pterygium. Comparisons ofselected genes with limbal and corneal tissues gave results similar tocomparisons between pterygium and normal conjunctiva. The increasedexpression of lipocalin 2, which activates matrix metalloproteinases(MMP), is consistent with our previous findings that MMP-9 and otherMMPs are highly expressed in pterygium basal epithelium.

[学科分类] 生物化学/生物物理