{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,21]],"date-time":"2026-10-21T21:45:39Z","timestamp":1792619139676,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":123,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]],"date-time":"2021-11-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1636329600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01EY026479"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01EY026479"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Argentina National Agency for Scientific and Technological Promotion","award":["PICT 2016-0055"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PICT 2016-0055"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100007745","name":"Massachusetts Lions Eye Research Fund","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["none"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["none"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100007745","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100001818","name":"Research to Prevent Blindness","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["none"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["none"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100001818","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Solar damage due to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is implicated in the development of two proliferative lesions of the ocular surface: pterygium and pinguecula. Pterygium and pinguecula specimens were collected, along with adjacent healthy conjunctiva specimens. RNA was extracted and sequenced. Pairwise comparisons were made of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Computational methods were used for analysis. Transcripts from 18,630 genes were identified. Comparison of two subgroups of pterygium specimens uncovered evidence of genomic instability associated with inflammation and the immune response; these changes were also observed in pinguecula, but to a lesser extent. Among the top DEGs were four genes encoding tumor suppressors that were downregulated in pterygium: C10orf90, RARRES1, DMBT1 and SCGB3A1; C10orf90 and RARRES1 were also downregulated in pinguecula. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis overwhelmingly linked DEGs to cancer for both lesions; however, both lesions are clearly still benign, as evidenced by the expression of other genes indicating their well-differentiated and non-invasive character. Pathways for epithelial cell proliferation were identified that distinguish the two lesions, as well as genes encoding specific pathway components. Upregulated DEGs common to both lesions, including KRT9 and TRPV3, provide a further insight into pathophysiology. Our findings suggest that pterygium and pinguecula, while benign lesions, are both on the pathological pathway towards neoplastic transformation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms222112090","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]],"date-time":"2021-11-08T22:08:41Z","timestamp":1636409321000},"page":"12090","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":32,"title":["Transcriptome Analysis of Pterygium and Pinguecula Reveals Evidence of Genomic Instability Associated with Chronic Inflammation"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"given":"Mar\u00eda Fernanda","family":"Suarez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center and Department of Ophthalmology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2638-0577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Echenique","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaciones en Bioqu\u00edmica Cl\u00ednica e Inmunolog\u00eda (CIBICI), Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, National University of C\u00f3rdoba, C\u00f3rdoba 5000, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8481-5834","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Manuel","family":"L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Microcirug\u00eda Ocular C\u00f3rdoba (IMOC), C\u00f3rdoba 5000, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Esteban","family":"Medina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Microcirug\u00eda Ocular C\u00f3rdoba (IMOC), C\u00f3rdoba 5000, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mariano","family":"Ir\u00f3s","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Instituto de Microcirug\u00eda Ocular C\u00f3rdoba (IMOC), C\u00f3rdoba 5000, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4979-8642","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Horacio M.","family":"Serra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Investigaciones en Bioqu\u00edmica Cl\u00ednica e Inmunolog\u00eda (CIBICI), Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, National University of C\u00f3rdoba, C\u00f3rdoba 5000, Argentina"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M. Elizabeth","family":"Fini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"New England Eye Center, Tufts Medical Center and Department of Ophthalmology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA"},{"name":"Programs in Cell, Molecular & Developmental Biology and Pharmacology & Drug Development, Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Nozic, D. (2020). Environmental sub-epithelial proteinaceous keratopathy: A new name for an old disease. Challenges in Disease and Health Research, Book Publisher International. Chapter 8."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Serra, H.M., Suarez, M.F., Maccio, J.P., Esp\u00f3sito, E., and Urrets-Zavalia, J.A. (2018). Pterygium: A complex and multifactorial ocular surface disease. A review on its pathogenic aspects. 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