title: Fibromodulin regulates collagen fibrillogenesis during peripheral corneal development.
abstract: Fibromodulin regulates collagen fibrillogenesis, but its existence/role(s) in the cornea is controversial. We hypothesize that fibromodulin regulates fibrillogenesis during postnatal development of the anterior eye. Fibromodulin is weakly expressed in the limbus at post-natal day (P) 4, increases and extends into the central cornea at P14, becomes restricted to the limbus at P30, and decreases at P60. This differential spatial and temporal expression of fibromodulin is coordinated with emmetropization; the developmental increase in axial length and globe size. Genetic analysis demonstrated that fibromodulin regulates fibrillogenesis in a region-specific manner. At the limbus, fibromodulin is dominant in regulating fibril growth during postnatal development. In the posterior peripheral cornea, cooperative interactions of fibromodulin and lumican regulate fibrillogenesis. These data indicate that fibromodulin plays important roles in the regulation of region-specific fibrillogenesis required for the integration of the corneal and scleral matrices and sulcus development required for establishment of the visual axis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, University of South Florida, College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612-4799, USA.
authors.forename: Shoujun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ake
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oldberg
authors.forename: Shukti
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakravarti
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Birk
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism*; D003315:Cornea / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071235:Fibromodulin; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007632:Keratan Sulfate / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000071234:Lumican; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods; D008957:Models, Genetic; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013710:Tendons / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014785:Vision, Ocular
chemical_list: D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; C000604332:Fmod protein, mouse; C000604307:Lum protein, mouse; D000071234:Lumican; D011509:Proteoglycans; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000071235:Fibromodulin; D003094:Collagen; D007632:Keratan Sulfate