The role of the MRTF-A/SRF pathway in ocular fibrosis

Abstract

Tissue contraction and fibrosis are major causes of morbidity in the human body. In the eye in particular, fibrosis and scarring are responsible for the pathogenesis or failure of treatment of all major blinding diseases, with postoperative wound healing responses posing a major problem for most ocular surgery on a worldwide scale. This is one of the largest areas of unmet need in ophthalmology, with currently no antifibrotic treatments available clinically. This review focuses on the ubiquitous myocardin-related transcription factor/serum response factor (MRTF-A/SRF) transcription pathway as a potential novel therapeutic target in fibrotic eye diseases. It describes how the MRTF-A/SRF pathway is intricately linked to all the key regulators and pathways in ocular fibrosis, and how it could potentially lead to a new avenue of antifibrotic therapies in the future.