Crosstalk between TGFβ and Wnt signaling pathways in the human trabecular meshwork.

In this study, we determined whether there is a crosstalk between the TGFβ/Smad pathway and the canonical Wnt pathway using luciferase reporter assays. Lentiviral luciferase reporter vectors for studying the TGFβ/Smad pathway or the canonical Wnt pathway were transduced into primary human non-glaucomatous TM (NTM) cells. Cells were treated with or without a combination of 5 μg/ml TGFβ2 and/or 100 ng/ml Wnt3a recombinant proteins, and luciferase levels were measured using a plate reader. We found that TGFβ2 inhibited Wnt3a-induced canonical Wnt pathway activation, while Wnt3a inhibited TGFβ2-induced TGFβ/Smad pathway activation (n = 6, p < 0.05) in 3 NTM cell strains. We also found that knocking down of Smad4 or β-catenin using siRNA in HTM5 cells transfected with similar luciferase reporter plasmids abolished the inhibitory effect of TGFβ2 and/or Wnt3a on the other pathway (n = 6). Our results suggest the existence of a cross-inhibition between the TGFβ/Smad and canonical Wnt pathways in the TM, and this cross-inhibition may be mediated by Smad4 and β-catenin.
PMID: 27091054 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Experimental Eye Research - April 13, 2016 Category: Opthalmology Authors: Webber HC, Bermudez JY, Sethi A, Clark AF, Mao W Tags: Exp Eye Res Source Type: research