Influence of cyclical mechanical strain on global gene expression in human lamina cribrosa cells in vitro

The mechanical effect of raised intraocular pressure is a recognised stimulus for optic neuropathy in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Characteristic extra-cellular matrix (ECM) remodelling accompanies axonal damage in the lamina cribrosa (LC) of the optic nerve head in POAG. Glial cells in the lamina cribrosa may play a role in this process but the precise cellular responses to mechanical forces in this region are unknown. The authors examined global gene expression profiles in lamina cribrosa cells exposed to cyclical mechanical stretch, with an emphasis on ECM genes. Keywords: microarray, ECM, glaucoma, mechanical stretch, lamina cribrosa n=3 stretch and static control experiments. RNA pooled from each experiment and hybridised to individual experiment and control arrays.