title: The FGF2 gene in a myopia animal model and human subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) has been implied in the development of myopia according to previous studies investigating FGF2 in the sclera and retinal pigment epithelium. This study measured retinal FGF2 gene expression in an animal model and also tested for the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FGF2 and high myopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The guinea pigs were assigned to 2 groups: form deprivation myopia (FDM) for two weeks and normal control (free of form deprivation). Biometric measurement was performed and FGF2 expression levels were compared among the FDM eyes, the fellow eyes of the FDM group and the normal eyes in retina. We also enrolled 1,064 cases (≤-6.0 D) and 1,001 controls (≥-1.5 D) from a Chinese population residing in Taiwan. Six tagging SNPs were genotyped to test for an association between genotypes and high myopia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The FDM eyes had the most prominent changes of refraction and axial length. Compared with the mRNA levels of FGF2 in the normal eyes, the FDM eyes had the highest levels of mRNA (p=0.0004) followed by the fellow eyes (p=0.002). The FDM and normal eyes became more myopic compared with the fellow eyes, but the fellow eyes became more hyperopic (p=0.004) in the end of the experiment which may be due to its relatively short axial length when compared with normal eyes (p=0.05). The SNP genotypes were all in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. However, none of the SNPs were significantly associated with high myopia (all p values >0.1).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We identified a significant change of FGF2 expression in the FDM eyes but FGF2 genetic variants are unlikely to influence susceptibility to myopia. There may be a systemic effect to influence gene expression and refraction on the fellow eyes, which may perturb emmetropization in the fellow eyes. Our data also suggest using normal eyes rather than the fellow eyes as the control eyes when study the form deprivation myopia.
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Jianhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hsi
authors.forename: Xiangtian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Yijin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Suh-Hang Hank
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Juo
authors.forename: Chung-Ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Liang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D058452:Axial Length, Eye / Q000473:pathology; D001699:Biometry; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005838:Genotype; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012683:Sensory Deprivation
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2