CELLULAR FIBRONECTIN SUPRESSES NORMAL HUMAN TRABECULAR MESHWORK CELL METALLOPROTEINASE EXPRESSION AND ACTIVATES TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-BETA 2 SIGNALING PATHWAY

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness, set off generally by changes on eye pressure and tissue modifications. One of the common tissue modifications includes induction of extracellular proteins expression on the human eye trabecular meshwork. This study provides important information on one of the tissue changes caused by a factor involved in glaucoma, Transforming Growth Factor-beta 2, the induction of the expression of the extracellular protein fibronectin. Fibronectin is a protein that can be found in two types of forms, a plasma soluble form and a cellular insoluble form. This study showed how interaction with cellular fibronectin form can affect normal human trabecular meshwork cells. This type of tissue modification may be part of the trabecular meshwork changes that can lead to glaucoma. Understanding the tissue changes and factors affecting the eye conditions leading to glaucoma will help in the discovery of agents protecting the eye from glaucoma damage.