Swamynathan Shivalingappa K
Departments of Ophthalmology, and Cell Biology and Physiology, McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 203 Lothrop Street, Room 1025, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
J Ophthalmol. 2013;2013:103947. doi: 10.1155/2013/103947. Epub 2013 Feb 21.
The ocular surface-a continuous epithelial surface with regional specializations including the surface and glandular epithelia of the cornea, conjunctiva, and lacrimal and meibomian glands connected by the overlying tear film-plays a central role in vision. Molecular and cellular events involved in embryonic development, postnatal maturation, and maintenance of the ocular surface are precisely regulated at the level of gene expression by a well-coordinated network of transcription factors. A thorough appreciation of the biological characteristics of the ocular surface in terms of its gene expression profiles and their regulation provides us with a valuable insight into the pathophysiology of various blinding disorders that disrupt the normal development, maturation, and/or maintenance of the ocular surface. This paper summarizes the current status of our knowledge related to the ocular surface development and gene expression and the contribution of different transcription factors to this process.
眼表——一个具有区域特化的连续上皮表面,包括角膜、结膜的表面和腺上皮,以及通过覆盖其上的泪膜相连的泪腺和睑板腺——在视觉中起核心作用。参与眼表胚胎发育、出生后成熟和维持的分子和细胞事件,在基因表达水平上由一个协调良好的转录因子网络精确调控。从基因表达谱及其调控方面深入了解眼表的生物学特性,为我们深入了解各种破坏眼表正常发育、成熟和/或维持的致盲疾病的病理生理学提供了有价值的见解。本文总结了我们目前关于眼表发育和基因表达的知识现状,以及不同转录因子在这一过程中的作用。