AUTHOR=Boazak Elizabeth M. , King Rebecca , Wang Jiaxing , Chu Cassandra M. , Toporek Aaron M. , Sherwood Joseph M. , Overby Darryl R. , Geisert Eldon E. , Ethier C. Ross 

TITLE=Smarce1 and Tensin 4 Are Putative Modulators of Corneoscleral Stiffness

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.596154

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2021.596154

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p>The biomechanical properties of the cornea and sclera are important in the onset and progression of multiple ocular pathologies and vary substantially between individuals, yet the source of this variation remains unknown. Here we identify genes putatively regulating corneoscleral biomechanical tissue properties by conducting high-fidelity ocular compliance measurements across the BXD recombinant inbred mouse set and performing quantitative trait analysis. We find seven cis-eQTLs and non-synonymous SNPs associating with ocular compliance, and show by RT-qPCR and immunolabeling that only two of the candidate genes, <italic>Smarce1</italic> and <italic>Tns4</italic>, showed significant expression in corneal and scleral tissues. Both have mechanistic potential to influence the development and/or regulation of tissue material properties. This work motivates further study of <italic>Smarce1</italic> and <italic>Tns4</italic> for their role(s) in ocular pathology involving the corneoscleral envelope as well as the development of novel mouse models of ocular pathophysiology, such as myopia and glaucoma.</p>