Integrated Profiling of Extracellular Vesicles microRNA Impact on Trabecular Meshwork mRNA Expression: Insights from Microarray Analysis

Oxidative stress in non-pigmented ciliary epithelial cells leads to secretion of extracellular vesicles containing microRNAs that alter gene expression in trabecular meshwork cells. This study identified differentially expressed miRNAs and genes, revealing potential mechanisms in primary open-angle glaucoma progression and suggesting new therapeutic targets. We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying cellularisation and identified distinct classes of up-regulated genes during this process. We exposed NPCE cells to oxidative stress and isolated extracellular vesicles (EVs) from both control and stressed cells. HTM cells were then treated with these EVs, and microarray analysis was conducted to identify differentially expressed microRNAs in the EVs and mRNAs in the HTM cells. Subsequent bioinformatics analysis explored miRNA-mRNA interactions and identified enriched Gene Ontology (GO) terms. This approach revealed 54 differentially expressed miRNAs in stressed NPCE-EVs, with 88 genes upregulated and 58 downregulated in treated HTM cells, highlighting pathways implicated in POAG progression, including extracellular matrix organization and cell adhesion