Meibomian Gland Dysfunction Is Associated with Low Levels of Immunoglobulin Chains and Cystatin-SN

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Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a highly prevalent condition and the most common cause of evaporative dry eye disease. Studying the proteome of MGD can result in important advances in the management of the condition. Here, we collected tear film samples from treatment naïve patients with MGD (n = 10) and age-matched controls (n = 11) with Schirmer filtration paper. The samples were analyzed with label-free quantification nano liquid chromatography—tandem mass spectrometry. The proteins were considered differentially expressed if p < 0.05. A total of 88 proteins were significantly regulated. The largest change was observed in cystatin-SN, which was downregulated in MGD and correlated negatively with tear meniscus height. The downregulation of cystatin-SN was confirmed with targeted mass spectrometry by single reaction monitoring (SRM). Eighteen immunoglobulin components involved in B cell activation, phagocytosis, and complement activation were downregulated in MGD including Ig alpha-1 chain C region, immunoglobulin J chain, immunoglobulin heavy variable 3–15, and Ig mu chain C region. The changes in cystatin-SN and immunoglobulin chains are likely to result from the inflammatory changes related to tear film evaporation, and future studies may assess their association with the meibum quality.

Original languageEnglish
Article number15115
JournalInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences
Volume24
Issue number20
Number of pages14
ISSN1661-6596
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 by the authors.

    Research areas

  • blepharitis, cystatin, dry eye, immunoglobulin, mass spectrometry, meibomian gland dysfunction, proteome, proteomics, tear

ID: 389920308