PROX1 loss in adult mouse Schlemm’s canal causes permanent ocular hypertension

Within four weeks, intraocular pressure significantly increased, and ocular hypertension was maintained for at least 24 weeks. Unlike lymphatic vessels, which degenerate following Prox1 deletion, Schlemm’s canal reverted to a less functional vein-like phenotype with no change in size or morphology. These results highlight the utility of nanocarriers for tissue-specific genetic recombination and demonstrate that changes in lymphatic phenotypes alter intraocular pressure, providing new targets for glaucoma therapy.

Moreover, as we found that PROX1 was downregulated with age in human Schlemm’s canal, these canal-specific conditional Prox1 knockout mice are a valuable new adult-onset model of ocular hypertension that captures key features of age-related human disease.