| Grant number: | 18/16622-4 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation |
| Start date: | December 01, 2018 |
| End date: | November 30, 2019 |
| Field of knowledge: | Health Sciences - Medicine |
| Principal Investigator: | Luiz Carlos de Mattos |
| Grantee: | Laurie Sayuri Kumano |
| Host Institution: | Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil |
Abstract Keratoconus is a degenerative disease that affects the cornea, affecting both genders in all ethnicities and that can manifest uni or bilaterally in the patients. This condition is characterized by a protrusion of the central or paracentral cornea, changing its normal curvature (spherical) to a more conical shape. It is now known that genetic, environmental and behavioral factors are involved in the onset of this disease and although it has been described long ago as a recent non-inflammatory disorder of the literature indicate the possible involvement of inflammatory mechanisms. There are recent and scarce studies involving polymorphisms in genes involved in the immune response, which can trigger the exacerbation of inflammatory molecules and influence the development and progression of keratoconus. The MICA gene encodes a cell surface protein of the same name that acts as a ligand of the NKG2D activating receptor for T³´ lymphocytes, CD± + T±² lymphocytes and NK cells. MICA molecules act as stress markers in the epithelium, including in the corneal epithelium, and studies involving polymorphisms in the MICA gene have not yet been performed in patients with keratoconus. Thus, in the present study, we intend to investigate whether the MICA-129 polymorphism (rs1051792) is associated with the development of keratoconus in patients from a population in the northwest of the State of São Paulo. The results obtained will provide unpublished data in the Brazilian and world literature that could offer subsidies for a better understanding of the development and progression of keratoconus. | |
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