Lipid and cholesterol metabolism gene expression in pterygium fibroblasts: comparative analysis with adipocytes and other fibroblasts

Purpose: To compare the gene expression associated with lipid and cholesterol metabolism in pterygium fibroblasts, adipocytes and other types of fibroblasts. Methodology: Gene expression data from 12 samples of primary pterygium, 12 from adipose cells and 63 from other types of fibroblasts with the same platform were obtained from the gene expression omnibus database. The mean expression for each gene was calculated for each cell type. Differentially and similarly expressed genes were subjected to overrepresentation analysis to obtain signaling pathways, protein interactions, and associated functional terms. Results: Of the 16,511 genes analyzed, 921 differentially and 1,207 similarly expressed were found. From the overrepresentation analysis of differentially expressed genes, 460 genes were found associated (p < 0.05) to the SREBP1 protein, while in the similarly expressed genes 615 were found associated to the same protein. The HMGCR, ACOX1 and LRP1 genes showed significantly decreased expression (p < 0.05) in pterygium fibroblasts compared to adipocytes and other types of fibroblasts. Expression of the HMGCS gene was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in pterygium fibroblasts than in adipocytes and lower than in other fibroblast types. Other genes, including LPL, ACAT1, LSS, LDLR and LCAT showed a differential expression between the three cell types. Conclusion: Deregulated expression of genes associated with lipid and cholesterol metabolism in pterygium fibroblasts is related to proliferation, suggesting further study as potential therapeutic targets.