Transcription, translation, and function of lubricin, a boundary lubricant, at the ocular surface.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

Lubricin may be an important barrier to the development of corneal and conjunctival epitheliopathies that may occur in dry eye disease and contact lens wear.

Objective

To test the hypotheses that lubricin (ie, proteoglycan 4 [PRG4 ]), a boundary lubricant, is produced by ocular surface epithelia and acts to protect the cornea and conjunctiva against significant shear forces generated during an eyelid blink and that lubricin deficiency increases shear stress on the ocular surface and promotes corneal damage.

Design, setting, and participants

Human, porcine, and mouse tissues and cells were processed for molecular biological, immunohistochemical, and tribological studies, and wild-type and PRG4 knockout mice were evaluated for corneal damage.

Results

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SUBMITTER: Schmidt TA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3887468 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature