Tear proteins are supplied by the regulated fusion of secretory vesicles at the apical surface of lacrimal gland acinar cells, utilizing trafficking mechanisms largely yet uncharacterized. We investigated the role of Rab27b in the terminal release of these secretory vesicles. Confocal fluorescence microscopy analysis of primary cultured rabbit lacrimal gland acinar cells revealed that Rab27b wa...

Purpose Although normal function of the lacrimal gland is essential for vision (and thus for human well-being), the lacrimal gland remains rather poorly understood at a molecular level. The purpose of this study was to identify new genes and signaling cascades involved in lacrimal gland development. Methods To identify these genes, we used microarray analysis to compare the gene expression pr...

BACKGROUND To present a rare case of a 2-year-old girl with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) who presented with ptosis of the right upper eyelid along with a tumor in the eyelid. METHODS A magnetic resonance imaging scan of the orbit revealed a solid tumor located extraconally at the site of the right lacrimal gland. A transcranial orbitotomy was performed. RESULTS Histopathological examinati...

We present a case of a 62-year-old male patient with pleomorphic adenoma and painless solid mass in his right eye. Computerized tomography demonstrated a mass with a diameter of 2.5 cm located in the right lacrimal gland. The mass was removed completely by combined orbitofrontal craniotomy through a transcranial approach. Histopathologic examination revealed pleomorphic adenoma of the lacrimal ...

The purpose of the present studies was to use CyTOF and RNA-Seq technologies to identify cells and genes involved in lacrimal gland repair that could be targeted to treat diseases of lacrimal gland dysfunction. Lacrimal glands of female BALB/c mice were experimentally injured by intra-glandular injection of interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1α). The lacrimal glands were harvested at various time points f...

PURPOSE Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) specifically protects mucosal surfaces. In a previous study of the human conjunctiva, evidence was also found for the presence of MALT in the lacrimal sac. The present study, therefore, aims to investigate its morphology and topographical distribution in the human lacrimal drainage system. METHODS Lacrimal drainage systems (n = 51) obtained fro...

This study aims to observe the effects of estradiol and Cimicifuga racemosa on the lacrimal gland and submandibular gland of ovariectomized rats. We randomly divided 20 adult female SD rats into four groups-a sham-operated group (SHAM), ovariectomized (OVX) group, ovariectomized group treated with estradiol (OVX+ E), and ovariectomized group treated with the isopropanolic extract of Cimicifuga ...

PURPOSE To sequence and comprehensively analyze human and mouse lacrimal gland transcriptomes as part of the NEIBank project. METHODS cDNA libraries generated from normal human and mouse lacrimal glands were sequenced and analyzed by PHRED, RepeatMasker, BLAST, and GRIST. Human "lacrimal-preferred genes" and putative gene regulatory elements were respectively identified in UniGene and ConSite...

There is evidence suggesting that the ophthalmia which results from a deficiency of vitamine A is secondary to some change outside the eyes, and that this change may lie in the paraocular glands. In rats these glands consist of the lacrimal, with its watery secretion, the Harderian, with a probable fatty product, and the Meibomian glands. A histological study of these structures shows questiona...