human sclera maintains common characteristics with cartilage throughout evolution在进化人类巩膜与软骨保持共同特征.pdfVIP

Human Sclera Maintains Common Characteristics with Cartilage throughout Evolution 1,2 2 1 1 3 Yuko Seko , Noriyuki Azuma , Yoriko Takahashi , Hatsune Makino , Toshiyuki Morito , Takeshi 3 4 4 5 1 Muneta , Kenji Matsumoto , Hirohisa Saito , Ichiro Sekiya , Akihiro Umezawa * 1 Department of Reproductive Biology and Pathology, National Institute for Child and Health Development, Tokyo, Japan, 2 Department of Ophthalmology, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan, 3 Section of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan, 4 Department of Allergy and Immunology, National Institute for Child and Health Development, Tokyo, Japan, 5 Section of Cartilage Regeneration, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan Abstract Background: The sclera maintains and protects the eye ball, which receives visual inputs. Although the sclera does not contribute significantly to visual perception, scleral diseases such as refractory scleritis, scleral perforation and pathological myopia are considered incurable or difficult to cure. The aim of this study is to identify characteristics of the human sclera as one of the connective tissues derived from the neural crest and mesoderm. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have demonstrated microarray data of cultured human infant scleral cells. Hierarchical clustering was performed to group scleral cells and other mesenchymal cells into subcategories. Hierarchical clustering analysis showed similarity between scleral cells and auricular cartilage-derived cells. Cultured micromasses of scler