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Mechanotransduction in the Ciliary Muscle

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2016, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Vision Science.
Introduction: Thicker ciliary muscles have been associated with more myopic refractive errors. The mechanism leading to thicker ciliary muscles in myopic subjects is currently unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was to develop methods for understanding the ciliary muscle and to begin to dissect the mechanism(s) that could be leading thicker ciliary muscles in myopic subjects. Methods: Guinea pigs were the primary subjects utilized in this study. Retinoscopy, ultrasound, and photometric analysis were used to understand biometric outcomes (e.g., refractive error, axial length). Histology was used to analyze and track normal guinea pig ciliary muscle development and differences between form-deprived and control eyes. Uniaxial stretch was applied to guinea pig eyes, and control and treated eyes were compared with RNA-Seq. RNA-Seq was also used to determine differences between form-deprived and control eyes. Results: Normal ciliary muscle volume was significantly correlated with log age (p = 0.001), ocular length (p = 0.003), limbal circumference (p = 0.01), and equatorial diameter (p = 0.003), though it was not related to normal refractive error. Normal ciliary muscle growth occurs via a combination of hypotrophy and hyperplasia during the first 20 days of life, and it switches to pure hypertrophy thereafter. Stretch induced ocular genetic changes suggest that the integrin-signaling pathway and/or the PDGF signaling pathway (ligand independent) are present in the ciliary body, and these pathways could be responsible for the thicker ciliary bodies associated with myopia. Genetic and histological trends suggest that form deprivation-induced myopia inhibits ciliary muscle growth. Two guinea pig strains that were new to myopia research were found to have variable susceptibility to form deprivation myopia. Discussion: This dissertation produced a new animal model for studying the ciliary muscle, though its usefulness for studying the ciliary muscle’s relationship with myopia is yet to be determined. This dissertation also identified new pathways that may be leading to thicker ciliary muscles in myopic subjects. Additional work is needed to fully understand these pathways and to determine the full mechanism leading to thicker ciliary muscles in myopic subjects.
Donald Mutti, OD, PhD (Advisor)
Heather Chandler, PhD (Committee Member)
Andrew Fischer, PhD (Committee Member)
Kirk McHugh, PhD (Committee Member)
Harold Fisk, PhD (Committee Member)
181 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pucker, A. D. (2016). Mechanotransduction in the Ciliary Muscle [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460647729

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pucker, Andrew. Mechanotransduction in the Ciliary Muscle . 2016. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460647729.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pucker, Andrew. "Mechanotransduction in the Ciliary Muscle ." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1460647729

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)