Oculomedin (OCLM)

Trabecular cells of the eye form a mesh-like structure called the trabecular meshwork, which is located at the iridocorneal angle. The trabecular meshwork is the main site of aqueous outflow. Studies have suggested that trabecular cells sense the intraocular pressure and respond by regulating aqueous outflow. One identified gene, which they named oculomedin, was expressed only in the stretched cells. The authors isolated a full-length oculomedin cDNA from a human eye cDNA library.

Northern blot analysis detected a 1.77-kb oculomedin transcript in human retina but not in other tissues, including brain. A segment of the deduced 44-amino acid oculomedin protein shares sequence similarity with a domain of rat neurokinin B precursor/neuromedin K ; this domain does not include the C-terminal motif conserved among tachykinin peptides.