Project description:To determine whether optic nerve head astrocytes, a key cellular component of glaucomatous neuropathy, exhibit differential gene expression in primary culture of astrocytes from African American donors with or without glaucoma, compared to astrocytes from Caucasian American donors with or without glaucoma. Experiment Overall Design: We divided samples into four group: Caucasian American normal, Caucasian American with glaucoma, African American normal and African American with glaucoma. We analyzed data from Affymetrix Human Genome U133A 2.0 and U95 chips.
Project description:To determine whether optic nerve head astrocytes, a key cellular component of glaucomatous neuropathy, exhibit differential gene expression in primary culture of astrocytes from African American donors with or without glaucoma, compared to astrocytes from Caucasian American donors with or without glaucoma. Keywords: Gene expression profile
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series:; GSE9939: Gene expression data on human optic nerve head astrocytes in normal Caucasian and African americans; GSE9944: Gene expression data on human optic nerve head astrocytes in Caucasian and African americans with or without glaucoma Experiment Overall Design: Refer to individual Series
Project description:The optic nerve is an important tissue in glaucoma and the unmyelinated nerve head region remains an important site of many early neurodegenerative changes. In humans and mice, astrocytes constitute the major glial cell type in the region, and in glaucoma they become reactive, influencing the optic nerve head (ONH) microenvironment and disease outcome. To determine the response of ONH astrocytes in glaucoma, we studied their transcriptional response to an elevation in intraocular pressure (IOP) induced by the microbead occlusion model. We also assessed the response of astrocytes in the more distal myelinated optic nerve proper (ONP). In this experimental model, astrocytes of the optic nerve exhibited a region-specific and temporally distinct response: ONH astrocytes showed very few early transcriptional changes and ONP astrocytes demonstrated substantially larger changes over the course of the experiment.
Project description:To determine whether optic nerve head astrocytes, a key cellular component of glaucomatous neuropathy, exhibit differential gene expression in primary culture of astrocytes from normal African American donors, compared to astrocytes from normal Caucasian American donors. All donors have no histories of eye disease, diabetes, or chronic CNS disease. Keywords: Gene expression profile
Project description:Primary cultures of astrocytes from rat optic nerve heads were treated with EGFR ligand, EGF. Two cell lines from two different rat donors were used. The sister cell cultures were set as control and EGF treated groups. Keywords: rat optic nerve head astrocytes
Project description:To determine whether optic nerve head astrocytes, a key cellular component of glaucomatous neuropathy, exhibit differential gene expression in primary culture of astrocytes from normal African American donors, compared to astrocytes from normal Caucasian American donors. All donors have no histories of eye disease, diabetes, or chronic CNS disease. Experiment Overall Design: We divided samples into two groups: normal Caucasian American and normal African American. We analyzed data from Affymetrix Human Genome Human Genome U133A and U133A 2.0 chips.
Project description:Purpose: Marked extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling occurs in the human optic nerve head in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). The glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP) negative lamina cribrosa cell may play an important role in this remodeling process. The authors report the first study of global and ECM-focused gene transcription differentials between GFAP-negative negative lamina cribrosa (LC) cells from normal and POAG human donors. Methods: GFAP-negative LC cell lines were generated from the optic nerve tissue of three normal (n=3) and three POAG (n=3) human donors. Using Affymetrix U133A arrays the transcriptional profile between the normal and diseased groups were compared. Bioinformatic analysis was carried out using robust multichip average (RMA Express) and EASE/David. Real time TaqMan PCR and immunohistochemistry analyses were performed to validate the microarray data. Results: 285 genes were up regulated by greater than 1.5 fold and 413 were down regulated by greater than 1.5 fold in the POAG LC cells versus normal controls. Upregulated genes in POAG LC cells included, SPARC, periostin, thrombospondin, CRTL-1, CTGF and collagen types I, III, V and VIII. Downregulated ECM genes in POAG included MMP-1, fibulin, decorin and tenacsin XB. All TaqMan PCR validation assays were significant (*p<0.05) and consistent with the array data. Immunohistochemistry of one target (periostin) confirmed its differential expression at the protein level in POAG optic nerve head tissue compared with non-glaucomatous controls. Functional annotation and over-representation analysis identified ECM genes as a statistically over-represented class of genes in POAG LC cells compared with normal LC cells. Conclusions: This study reports for the first time that POAG LC cells in-vitro demonstrate up regulated ECM and pro-fibrotic gene expression compared with normal LC cells. This may be a pathological characteristic of this cell type in POAG in-vivo. We believe that the LC cell may be a pivotal regulator of optic nerve head ECM remodeling and an attractive target for future therapeutic strategies in POAG.
Project description:Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration is a primary characteristic of glaucoma, although non-cell autonomous mechanisms have been implicated in RGC dysfunction. Astrocytes closely associate with RGCs in the nerve fiber layer of the retina and optic nerve, where they can contribute to RGC neurodegeneration. However, the mechanisms by which astrocytes promote neurotoxicity and contribute to glaucoma remain unclear. Here we present data describing disease phenotypes in astrocytes and their ability to modulate RGC health.