1. Meibomian Gland Absence Related Dry Eye in Ectodysplasin A Mutant Mice
- Author
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Tingting Liu, Sanming Li, Yen-Chiao Wang, Baikai Ma, Xiaoxiao Chen, Wei Li, Zuguo Liu, Liying Zhang, Hui He, Jingwen Yu, and Yongxiong Chen
- Subjects
Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Pathology ,medicine.medical_specialty ,genetic structures ,Fluorescent Antibody Technique ,Meibomian gland ,Dry Eye Syndromes ,Biology ,Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,Mice ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Animals ,Tear secretion ,Corneal stromal edema ,Corneal epithelium ,Goblet cell ,Meibomian Glands ,Ectodysplasins ,medicine.disease ,Mice, Mutant Strains ,eye diseases ,Squamous metaplasia ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Disease Models, Animal ,030104 developmental biology ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Eyelid Diseases ,Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ,Ectodysplasin A ,sense organs ,Transcriptome - Abstract
Meibomian gland dysfunction is the most frequent cause of evaporative dry eye, yet its underlying pathophysiology is unknown. To gain insight into this pathophysiology, we characterized the time-dependent tear film and ocular surface changes occurring in X-linked anhidrotic-hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia mice (Tabby), which lack the meibomian gland. These mice sequentially developed corneal epithelial defects, central corneal stromal edema, neovascularization, and pannus 8 to 16 weeks after birth. Aqueous tear secretion was normal, whereas tear break-up time and ex vivo tear evaporation times were all shortened. Corneal epithelial microvilli were less numerous, conjunctival goblet cell density was unaffected, and MUC5AC and MUC5B gene expression was increased. Markers of squamous metaplasia (cytokeratin 10 and small proline-rich protein 1B) were noticed in the corneal epithelium of Tabby mice as early as the fourth week. Taken together, the Tabby mouse is a relevant meibomian gland dysfunction-related dry eye model that may lead to a better understanding of how meibomian glands are related to ocular surface health. This model may also help with discovering novel drug options for treating evaporative dry eye.
- Published
- 2016