title: Retinal gene expression changes related to IOP exposure and axonal loss in DBA/2J mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effects of cumulative IOP exposure and axonal damage on retinal gene expression in DBA/2 mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  DBA/2J, DBA/2J(pe) (pearl), and C57BL/6 mice from 3 to 12 months of age were used. IOP was measured with a rebound tonometer, and optic nerve (ON) damage was determined by grading of ON sections. Retinal RNA was subjected to microarray analysis. Comparisons explored the effects of cumulative IOP exposure (cIOPx) as well as ON damage (ONd) in the DBA/2J animals compared with that in the C57BL/6 and pearl mice. RT-PCR was performed to confirm some of the genes and bioinformatic analysis to identify affected gene networks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Microarrays revealed that an increasing number of genes were up- or downregulated in 9- and 12-month DBA/2J mice with various degrees of ONd. A smaller number of genes were expressed differentially between eyes with different cIOPx at the same age, from 6 months on. Expression of 1385 and 1133 genes differed between DBA/2J animals and C57BL/6 or pearl mice, respectively, and some them were confirmed by RT-PCR. Bioinformatics analysis identified functional gene networks, including members of the complement system, that appeared to be related to cIOPx, ONd, or both.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gene expression changes occur in retinas of DBA/2 mice with various amounts of cIOPx as well as ONd. Genes involved, code for proteins with diverse cellular functions and include among others the complement system. cIOPx and ONd affect common as well as unique gene sets.
authors: Departments of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate, Brooklyn, New York 11230, USA.
authors: Lambros
authors: L
authors: Panagis
authors: Xiujun
authors: X
authors: Zhao
authors: Yongchao
authors: Y
authors: Ge
authors: Lizhen
authors: L
authors: Ren
authors: Thomas W
authors: TW
authors: Mittag
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Danias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000473:pathology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D007429:Intraocular Pressure; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009798:Ocular Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014065:Tonometry, Ocular
chemical_list: D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins