This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on ISI (13)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Informatics/ Internet in Medicine  • Informatics, Other  • Articles for Residents  • Genetics  • Genetic Counseling/ Testing/ Therapy  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Albert S. Jun, MD, PhD; Sammy H. Liu, PhD; Ellen H. Koo; Diana V. Do, MD; Walter J. Stark, MD; John D. Gottsch, MD

Arch Ophthalmol. 2001;119:1629-1634.

Objectives  To use microarray analysis to identify genes expressed in human donor corneas and to create a preliminary, comprehensive database of human corneal gene expression.

Methods  A complementary DNA (cDNA) library was constructed from transplant-quality, human donor corneas. Biotin-labeled RNA was transcribed from the cDNA library and hybridized in duplicate to microarrays containing approximately 5600 human genes. Results were analyzed using a gene database of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to confirm corneal expression of genes identified by microarray analysis.

Results  Duplicate microarrays identified the expression of 1200 genes in human donor corneas. Chromosomal loci had been assigned to 1025 (85%) of these genes. A preliminary database of human corneal gene expression was compiled. A Web site containing these genes was created. Six collagen genes were identified that had not previously been localized within the cornea. Five apoptosis-related genes were identified, 4 of which had not previously been localized within the cornea. Three genes previously shown to cause corneal diseases were identified. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis of genes identified by microarray analysis confirmed the corneal expression of 2 apoptosis-related genes and 1 collagen gene.

Conclusions  Microarray analysis of healthy human donor corneas has produced a preliminary, comprehensive database of corneal gene expression. Large-scale analysis of gene expression has the potential to generate large amounts of data, which should be made readily accessible to the scientific community. The Internet offers many potential advantages as a medium for the maintenance of these large data sets.

Clinical Relevance  Identification of structural, apoptosis-related, and disease-causing genes within the cornea by microarrays may increase the understanding of normal and abnormal corneal function with likely relevance to corneal diseases and transplants.

From the Cornea and External Disease Division, Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Md.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Transcriptional Profiling of Enriched Populations of Stem Cells Versus Transient Amplifying Cells: A COMPARISON OF LIMBAL AND CORNEAL EPITHELIAL BASAL CELLS
Zhou et al.
J. Biol. Chem. 2006;281:19600-19609.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Retinoic Acid on Gene Expression in Human Conjunctival Epithelium: Secretory Phospholipase A2 Mediates Retinoic Acid Induction of MUC16
Hori et al.
IOVS 2005;46:4050-4061.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Gene Expression Profile Studies of Human Keratoconus Cornea for NEIBank: A Novel Cornea-Expressed Gene and the Absence of Transcripts for Aquaporin 5
Rabinowitz et al.
IOVS 2005;46:1239-1246.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Identification of Gene Expression Changes Associated with the Progression of Retinal Degeneration in the rd1 Mouse
Hackam et al.
IOVS 2004;45:2929-2942.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Gene Expression in Donor Corneal Endothelium
Gottsch et al.
Arch Ophthalmol 2003;121:252-258.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT