title: An enhanced expression of ABC 1 transporter in circulating leukocytes as a potential molecular marker for the diagnostics of glaucoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease. Since vascular dysregulation is supposed to be a risk factor for the development of glaucomatous damage, the preventive treatment might slow down the disease development. The efficiency of the therapeutic treatment depends particularly on a drug efflux pump regulated by ABC transporters. ABC 1 is also known to participate on the vascular regulation. This study was focused on the comparative analysis of ABC 1 expression levels in circulating leukocytes of non-glaucomatous individuals and glaucoma patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The expression rates of ABC 1 were significantly increased in leukocytes of glaucoma patients compared to non-glaucomatous individuals. The expression level of ABC 1 was, furthermore, highly homogeneous in glaucoma patients. In contrast, these expression levels in non-glaucomatous individuals were extremely heterogeneous. This transporter acts as the energy-dependent unidirectional transmembrane cholesterol efflux pump and can export a wide range of hydrophobic drugs. Additionally an observed enhanced ABC 1 expression in circulating leukocytes may be implicated in the vascular regulation mechanisms of glaucoma. We proposed the enhanced expression of ABC 1 in leukocytes as a potential marker for the diagnostics and ex vivo molecular monitoring of glaucoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Division of Molecular/Experimental Radiology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yeghiazaryan
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Flammer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orgul
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Golubnitschaja
mesh_terms: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D015415:Biomarkers