Glycoconjugates, cellular differentiation, and congenital glaucoma.

Abstract

Studies of congenital glaucoma have described and debated the disease process in cellular and structural terms, yet the functional aspects of the disease remain poorly understood. This paper presents an attempt to look at the disease from a different perspective: the role of glycoconjugates and their influence on morphogenesis of the corneoscleral angle. Extracellular and cell-surface complex carbohydrates and trabecular meshwork development were observed in normal C-57 BL/6J mice with light and electron microscopy. Lectin-stained fixed tissues were evaluated by fluorescein light microscopy and with computer-controlled scanning microspectrophotometry. The appearance and type of specific glycoconjugates was related to morphogenesis and differentiation, with specific reference to the development of the trabecular meshwork. Our results suggest that glycoconjugates are: (1) important in the morphogenesis of the corneoscleral angle, and (2) provide some of the required signals for the differentiation of the cells of the trabecular meshwork. These findings emphasize the possibility that a complex series of morphological and biological events in the normal development of the trabecular meshwork ultimately leads to a functionally competent trabecular meshwork, that is, capacitation.