Abstract

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy in more than 25 % of cases in patients with permanent blindness. The microRNA is implicated in modulating the cellular function of the trabecular meshwork (TM). The aim of this study is to investigate the role of miR-137 in glaucoma and illustrate the potential molecular mechanisms. We show that miR-137 was down-regulated in H 2 O 2 -induced human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMCs), and overexpression of miR-137 attenuated H 2 O 2 -induced cell growth inhibition, apoptosis and elevated extracellular matrix (ECM) protein expression. In addition, miR-137 blocked the activation of YAP/TAZ by directly targeting src. Overexpression of src or activation of the YAP/TAZ pathway partly abrogated the effects of miR-137 on H 2 O 2 -induced cell viability and apoptosis and dampened the inhibition effect on ECM protein expression. In conclusion, miR-137 promotes cell growth and inhibits extracellular matrix protein expression in H 2 O 2 -induced human trabecular meshwork cells via the YAP/TAZ pathway by targeting src. Hence, miR-137 might be used as a novel therapeutic target to treat glaucoma.