[Protein profiles of normal and organ-cultured human trabecular meshwork]

We determined the protein profiles of the trabecular meshwork (TM) obtained from 14 normal human eyes from individuals of various ages (53 to 76 years) using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and a highly sensitive silver staining technique, which yields 50-100 times greater sensitivity than is achieved with Coomassie Blue. Over 30 protein bands varying in molecular weight from 16,000 to 250,000 were consistently visible, regardless of donor age. Protein profiles of one-eighth human TM obtained from each eye showed a same pattern and those of one-eight organ-cultured human TM during 4 weeks also indicated a same pattern. Protein profiles of the TM from normal human eyes of various ages shared a number of similarities. Protein profiles of the TM, peripheral cornea, limbal sclera, iris, and ciliary body from a control donor were similar, although several polypeptide bands were unique to each structure.