{
  "abstract": "The inner wall of Schlemm's canal (SC) is a specialized mechanosensitive endothelium in which pore formation is essential for normal conventional aqueous humor outflow and hence intraocular pressure homeostasis, yet the role of microtubule (MT) stability in this process remains poorly understood. Here, using SC cell primary cultures from normal and glaucomatous human eyes as well as mouse whole eye perfusion, we identify MTs as a key component of the mechanotransduction machinery linking the mechanical microenvironment to SC cell biomechanics and conventional outflow. We show that MT stability is modulated by substrate stiffness and diminished in glaucomatous SC cells. MT stabilization suppresses GEF-H1-dependent actomyosin contractility, reduces cellular stiffness, and promotes transcellular pore formation in both normal and glaucomatous SC cells, whereas MT destabilization elicits opposing effects. Consistent with these cellular responses, pharmacological MT stabilization enhances conventional outflow facility in ex vivo mouse eyes. Together, our findings establish MT-dependent cytoskeletal remodeling as a previously unrecognized mechanism linking extracellular mechanical cues to SC biomechanics and transcellular pore formation and highlight MT-associated signaling as a potential therapeutic target for improving conventional outflow in glaucoma.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA.",
    "Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA.",
    "George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA.",
    "Bioengineering Interdisciplinary Program, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA.",
    "Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University, Durham, NC USA.",
    "Center for Visual and Neurocognitive Rehabilitation, Atlanta VA Healthcare System, Decatur, GA USA."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Haiyan Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Nina Sara Fraticelli-Guzmán"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Kristin M Perkumas"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Micah Chrenek"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        3,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Andrew J Feola"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "W Daniel Stamer"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "C Ross Ethier"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7w9z194vdjh9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s44341-026-00055-5",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13739737",
  "id": "c7w9z194vdjh9",
  "issns": [
    "3004-863X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996666",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2731|Glaucoma and retinal disorders"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7160017852",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13739737?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13739737",
  "pmid": "42996666",
  "published": "2026-11-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7w9z194vdjh9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-09T15:20:34Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42996666",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42996666"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2731|Glaucoma and retinal disorders",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Microtubule stability modulates Schlemm's canal cell mechanobiology and outflow facility in glaucoma.",
  "title_text": "Microtubule stability modulates Schlemm's canal cell mechanobiology and outflow facility in glaucoma.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-10T03:20:49Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/c7w9z194vdjh9",
  "venue": "Npj biological physics and mechanics",
  "versions": []
}