PURPOSE: The goals of this study were to investigate whether beta-defensins are differentially expressed in the conjunctival epithelium of @entity1 with moderate @entity936 when compared with normal subjects and whether proinflammatory cytokines or bacteria can modulate the expression of @entity1 @entity39344 by conjunctival epithelial cells. METHODS: RNA extracted from conjunctival impression cytology specimens of eight normal subjects and nine @entity1 with moderate @entity936 was used in RT-PCR to detect mRNA for @entity39344 . Two conjunctival epithelial cell lines and primary cultured conjunctival epithelial cells were treated with proinflammatory cytokines or heat-killed @entity796 . RT-PCR and immunoblot analysis were used to detect mRNA for @entity39344 and protein secretion of @entity15875 , respectively. RESULTS: @entity15875 message was detected in RNA samples of eight of nine @entity1 with @entity936 , but not in any of the normal subjects' samples, whereas @entity39345 were detected in all subjects tested. RT-PCR revealed an upregulation of @entity15875 but no difference in expression of @entity39345 in cultured conjunctival cells after a 24-hour treatment with 10 ng/mL interleukin (IL)-1beta, @entity1356 and @entity5 necrosis factor-alpha (10 ng/mL) or heat-killed @entity796 (1 million colony-forming units; n = 3). @entity15875 expression was upregulated from 4 hours of treatment with @entity1356 (at 10 ng/mL; (n = 2-3) and at a concentration of 0.1 ng/mL @entity1356 (24-hour treatment; n = 2-3). Immunoblots demonstrated protein secretion results corresponding to the RT-PCR data. CONCLUSIONS: @entity15875 was expressed only in the conjunctival epithelium of @entity1 with moderate @entity936 . Because cytokines such as @entity1356 and @entity310 induced the expression of @entity15875 by conjunctival epithelial cells and because increased proinflammatory cytokine activity is a feature of @entity2194 , it can be speculated that the @entity15875 upregulation observed in subjects with moderate @entity936 is mediated by proinflammatory cytokine activity.

Expression of XXXX beta-defensins in conjunctival epithelium: relevance to @entity2194 .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human', 'patients'] @entity2194 :: ('MESH:D005128', 'Disease') :: ['dry eye disease'] @entity796 :: ('287', 'Species') :: ['Pseudomonas aeruginosa'] @entity15875 :: ('1673', 'Gene') :: ['hBD-2'] @entity1356 :: ('3553', 'Gene') :: ['IL-1beta'] @entity39345 :: ('1672;55894', 'Gene') :: ['hBD-1 and -3'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor'] @entity310 :: ('7124', 'Gene') :: ['TNF-alpha'] @entity39344 :: ('1672;1673;55894', 'Gene') :: ['beta-defensins (hBDs)-1, -2, and -3', 'hBD-1, -2, and -3', 'hBDs-1, -2, and -3'] @entity936 :: ('MESH:D015352', 'Disease') :: ['dry eye']
@entity1 :: (9606,Species) :: ['human']
