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Published on: February 15, 2022
Expression of mTOR in Primary Pterygium and its Correlation with α-Smooth Muscle Actin
Xin-Rong Zhao1,2, Ming-Chang Zhang1, Hua-Tao Xie1
11 Department of Ophthalmology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan - China.
Purpose:
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that has been shown to affect many cellular functions, such as cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism. However, there has been minimal focus on the expression of mTOR in pterygium. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of mTOR and the correlation between the levels of mTOR and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, a marker of transdifferentiation) in pterygium.
Methods:
Primary pterygium samples from 28 patients and normal conjunctival samples from 16 patients were surgically removed and analyzed. The expression levels of mTOR and α-SMA in the excised specimens were assessed using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Furthermore, correlations between the mTOR and α-SMA expression levels were studied.
Results:
The expression of mTOR and α-SMA was significantly higher in the pterygium tissues than in normal conjunctiva tissues. A significant positive correlation was detected between the number of mTOR-immunopositive fibroblasts and the number of α-SMA-immunopositive fibroblasts (ρ = 0.463, p = 0.0078). Additionally, mTOR expression was significantly correlated with α-SMA expression (ρ = 0.269, p = 0.031) in pterygium.
Conclusions:
There was an increased expression of mTOR in pterygium samples compared to that in normal conjunctival tissues, with a positive correlation with α-SMA expression. These findings might be involved in the pathogenesis of pterygium.
Insights
Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is elevated in pterygium tissues, correlating positively with alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). This suggests mTOR may play a role in pterygium development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) regulates critical cellular functions including growth and metabolism.
- Expression of mTOR in pterygium, a proliferative ocular condition, remains under-investigated.
- Alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) serves as a key marker for fibroblast transdifferentiation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression of mTOR in pterygium tissues.
- To determine the correlation between mTOR levels and α-SMA expression in pterygium.
Main Methods:
- Surgical excision and analysis of 28 primary pterygium and 16 normal conjunctival samples.
- Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were employed to assess mTOR and α-SMA expression.
- Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate correlations between mTOR and α-SMA levels.
Main Results:
- Significantly higher expression of both mTOR and α-SMA was observed in pterygium tissues compared to normal conjunctiva.
- A significant positive correlation was found between mTOR-immunopositive fibroblasts and α-SMA-immunopositive fibroblasts (ρ = 0.463, p = 0.0078).
- mTOR expression showed a significant positive correlation with α-SMA expression in pterygium (ρ = 0.269, p = 0.031).
Conclusions:
- Pterygium tissues exhibit increased mTOR expression relative to normal conjunctiva.
- The positive correlation between mTOR and α-SMA suggests a potential role in pterygium pathogenesis.
- These findings highlight mTOR as a potential therapeutic target in pterygium.
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