Investigation of the role of e-cadherin a surface adhesion protein in pterjium development

Pterygium, defined as flesh growth in the eye, is a common eye disease that results in the uncontrolled growth of the conjunctiva on the cornea. Especially, defects in epithelial cells of fibrovascular tissue have been shown to cause abnormal proliferation. E-cadherin, also known as epithelial cadherin, plays a key role in many biological processes, including cell recognition, border formation and maintenance, and coordinated cell movements, beyond mediating intercellular adhesion. It is known that decreased expression of E-cadherin leads to loss of cell adhesion, tumor growth, and proliferation, leading to metastasis. In this study, the relationship between pterygium and E-cadherin, a tumor suppressor gene, was investigated. In the study, promoter methylation of the E-cadherin gene in pterygium tissue belonging to 36 patients was determined by methylation-specific PCR method, the difference in expression levels by quantitative reverse transcription PCR method, and protein expression differences by western blot method. According to the obtained data, the methylation and expression levels of the E-cadherin gene in tissues with pterygium were statistically significant compared to the control group (p <0.005). It is thought that the decrease in the expression and methylation of the E-cadherin gene may be related to the formation and development of pterygium.