@Article{mcb.2009.006.071,
AUTHOR = {Weijuan Yao, Lanping Amy Sung},
TITLE = {Specific Expression of E--Tmod (Tmod1) in Horizontal Cells: Implications in Neuronal Cell Mechanics and Glaucomatous Retina},
JOURNAL = {Molecular \& Cellular Biomechanics},
VOLUME = {6},
YEAR = {2009},
NUMBER = {1},
PAGES = {71--82},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/mcb/v6n1/28478},
ISSN = {1556-5300},
ABSTRACT = {Erythrocyte tropomodulin (E-Tmod) is a tropomyosin-binding and actin capping protein at the point end of the filaments. It is part of a molecular ruler that plays an important role in generating short actin protofilaments critical for the integrity of the cell membrane. Here, with the use of \textit {E-Tmod+/lacZ} mice, we demonstrated a specific E-Tmod expression in horizontal cells (HCs) in the retina, and analyzed the stress-strain relationship of HCs, vertically oriented neurons, and retinal ganglial cells (RGC) under normal and high intraocular pressure (IOP). Since their dendrites are oriented laterally in a plane and form most complicated synapses with multiple cone photoreceptors, HCs are subjected to a greater stress and strain than vertically oriented neurons. The specific E-Tmod expression suggests its role in protecting HCs from mechanical damages in certain eye diseases, such as glaucoma, a neurodegenerative disease of the retina characterized by an elevated IOP. A stress-strain analysis on axons of RGC that run horizontally but only anchor at the optical nerve head suggests that they may also be subjected to a higher mechanical stress, which leads to an increase in ``cup-to-disc'' ratio in a higher IOP or in glaucoma patients.},
DOI = {10.3970/mcb.2009.006.071}
}