The Role of Epigenetics in the Fibrotic Processes Associated with Glaucoma

Figure 3

Epigenetic regulation of the TGFβ pathway. TGFβ has been shown to upregulate the expression of DNMT1 which causes aberrant methylation [76] leading to a more fibrotic phenotype. Furthermore, TGFβ has been shown to decrease acetylation in corneal fibroblasts causing them to remain active and leading to fibrosis [77]. In contrast to its role in corneal fibroblasts, TGFβ enhances Smad 2/3 acetylation leading to increased activity of these Smads [78].