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The lacrimal gland: development, wound repair and regeneration

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Abstract

The lacrimal gland (LG) is important as it has a significant role in maintaining the stability of the microenvironment of the ocular surface. When a loss of function occurs in the LG, a significant reduction in tear production and dry eye disease (DED) may occur. A mammalian LG is a secretory gland consisting of acini and ducts. The interaction between epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells plays a major role during development and the self-restoration process of the gland. Some factors, such as fibroblast growth factor 10 and bone morphogenetic protein 7, are associated with these processes. Though several strategies for LG regeneration have been established, there is still a long way to go before there is clarity about LG stem cells. In this review, current knowledge on LG development, LG self-repair, DED and correlative regeneration therapies are summarized.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by a Grant from National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (No. 2014AA020702), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31371390) and Ph.D. Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 20130171110010). We thank Sa Xiao for suggestive discussion.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Gene Engineering of the Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China

    Yupeng Yao & Yan Zhang

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  2. Yan Zhang
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Correspondence to Yan Zhang.

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Yao, Y., Zhang, Y. The lacrimal gland: development, wound repair and regeneration. Biotechnol Lett 39, 939–949 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-017-2326-1

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