角膜上皮干细胞定位特征的免疫组织化学研究

利用单克隆抗体ＡＥ５与分化型角膜上皮细胞中角蛋白Ｋ３特异性结合,研究缺乏分化标志特征的角膜上皮干细胞定位特点,应用免疫组织化学方法显示Ｋ３阳性表达的区域分布于除角膜缘上皮基底部以外的所有角膜上皮细胞中,角膜上皮干细胞存在于角膜缘基底部ＡＥ５抗体反应阴性细胞中,即角膜干细胞位于角膜缘上皮层基底部。     

角膜上皮干细胞定位特征的免疫组织化学研究

利用单克隆抗体ＡＥ５与分化型角膜上皮细胞中角蛋白Ｋ３特异性结合,研究缺乏分化标志特征的角膜上皮干细胞定位特点,应用免疫组织化学方法显示Ｋ３阳性表达的区域分布于除角膜缘上皮基底部以外所有角膜上皮细胞中,角膜上皮干细胞存在于角膜缘基底部ＡＥ５抗体反应阴性细胞中,即角膜干细胞位于角膜缘上皮层基底部。     

Expression of keratin 12 and maturation of corneal epithelium during development and postnatal growth

PURPOSE: To determine the kinetics of corneal epithelial maturation during embryonic development and postnatal growth. METHODS: Expression patterns of keratin (K)12 and K14 were determined in mouse embryos (embryonic days [E]15.5-19.5), corneas of postnatal day (P)0 to 10 months, and healing corneas after epithelial debridement in P30 and P90 mice. The expression of alkaline phosphatase (AP) was determined during postnatal growth and healing of epithelial debridement of Krt12(Cre/Cre)/ZAP bitransgenic mice. RESULTS: During embryonic development, K12 expression by corneal peridermal epithelium commenced at E15.5. In the period from E15.5 to P10, the expression of K12 was restricted to the suprabasal and/or superficial cells of the corneal epithelium, whereas the K14 expression was restricted to the basal cells. After P30, K12 expression was sporadically detected in the basal corneal epithelium, and the number of K12-positive basal cells increased as the mice grew older. The number of K14-positive cells that coexpressed K12 increased with age and reached a plateau after P180. Healing of the debrided epithelium facilitated the increase in K14-positive cells that coexpressed K12. Many basal cells of Krt12(Cre/Cre)/ZAP mice remained undifferentiated and expressed LacZ at P15, and they then differentiated to express Cre, which leads to excision of LacZ and AP expression. CONCLUSIONS: In the mouse, the corneal epithelium does not become fully mature until 3 to 6 months after birth, in that a significant number of corneal basal epithelial cells of young mice (相似文献   

Expression of K12 keratin in alkali-burned rabbit corneas.

The healing of alkali-injured corneas is characterized by the persistence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in tissues and recurrent corneal epithelial defects. It has been suggested that the proteolytic enzymes secreted by PMN may account in part for the recurrent epithelial defects in the alkali-burned corneas. Cytoplasmic keratins, which form intracellular intermediate filaments, participate in the formation of hemidesmosomes and play a key role in the focal adhesion of epithelial cells to the basement membranes. The K3/K12 keratin pair is a major constituent of differentiated and stratified corneal epithelium. We have recently cloned the cDNA encoding the rabbit K12 keratin. In the present study we examined the expression of K12 keratin during the healing of alkali-burned rabbit corneas by slot-blot and in situ hybridization. Our results indicate that in normal cornea K12 keratin is equally expressed in all cell layers of stratified corneal epithelium and suprabasal layers of limbal epithelium, but not in bulbar conjunctival and other epithelia, i.e., lens, iris, and retinal pigment epithelium. The basal cells of the detached regenerating epithelium of the injured cornea express a very low level of K12 keratin. These observations are consistent with the notion that defective expression of K3/K12 keratins may play a role in the abnormal attachment of the regenerating epithelium to the basement membrane.     

AP-1 (c-Fos/c-Jun) is required for corneal epithelial spreading

PURPOSE: We previously demonstrated that the AP-1 components c-fos/c-jun are up-regulated in healing rat corneal epithelium in a relatively early phase following epithelial débridement, implicating the AP-1 function in the initiation of cell movement. To explore this hypothesis, we examined the effect of lack of c-Fos and c-Jun protein expressions on the spreading of corneal epithelium and in situ in organ culture. Antisense-oligonucleotide (AS) c-fos-null mice were used for this purpose. METHODS: A rectangular piece of corneal tissue (2 x2 mm) was obtained from each eye of recently killed adult C57BL/6 mice and was incubated for 11 h in culture medium with 8 microM c-fos AS or c-jun AS probe. Sense probes were used for negative control. A rectangular section of corneal tissue was also obtained from each eye of c-fos(-/-), c-fos(+/-) and c-fos(+/+) mice and was organ-cultured for 11 h. The length of the path of epithelial spreading on stromal cut surface (both sides) was measured in hematoxylin-eosin-stained specimens. Data were analyzed by unpaired Student's t-test. RESULTS: Addition of c-fos AS to the medium decreased the length of epithelial spread to 40.36% of that in the control with the S probe. Addition of c-jun AS decreased the length of epithelial spreading rate to 42.71% of control with S probe. Lacking c-Fos decreased the epithelial spreading to 17.73% of control data from c-fos(+/-) and c-fos(+/+) mice. CONCLUSION: AP-1 (c-Fos/c-Jun) is required for the corneal epithelial spreading.     

Ultrastructure of conjunctival epithelium replacing corneal epithelium

After corneas of mice had been totally denuded of their epithelium by the application of n-heptanol, the new epithelium which grew over the corneas was studied by electron microscopy at intervals up to 7 months. The purpose was to compare the basal attachment of the new cells, derived from conjunctiva, with that of true corneal epithelial cells growing on the same type of substratum, and studied previously. Goblet cells appeared after 2 weeks amid the squamous type of epithelial cells which had resurfaced the cornea in about 1 week. Goblet cells increased up to at least 6 weeks, but had decreased by 3 months. They persisted, however, for the entire 7 months of the study. Goblet cells had only a small area of contact with the basal lamina, and they had few desmosomes or hemidesmosomes. Basal cells of the squamous type had complex features of their basal attachment quite different from those of normal or repairing corneal epithelial cells studied previously. Flat cytoplasmic extensions of squamous cells underlay most of the goblet cell basal pole which therefore had only a small area on the basal lamina. Numerous filaments inserted into desmosomes and hemidesmosomes of squamous cells, and prominent bundles of these filaments lay just above the basal plasma membrane. They were orientated parallel to the radial axis of the cornea. Closely spaced corrugations of the basal plasma membrane were also orientated in this axis, as well as rows of hemidesmosomes. Even after a period of 7 months, the morphological features of conjunctival cells did not come to resemble those of normal corneal epithelium. The radial arrangement of fibers, hemidesmosome rows, and corrugations is interpreted as a reflection of the continued centripetal migration of the epithelium.     

Expression of the 55-kD/64-kD corneal keratins in ocular surface epithelium.

According to the concept of keratin pairing defined by tissue coexpression, a 55-kD/64-kD keratin pair is a marker of "corneal-type" differentiation. Intermediate filament (IF)-enriched preparations from guinea pig and bovine corneal epithelium were analyzed, and a rabbit antiserum was generated against a 55-kD polypeptide enriched in these preparations. This antiserum generated a typical IF-like pattern in cultured bovine corneal epithelial cells. Immunofluorescence microscopic analysis of frozen sections of guinea pig and bovine tissue revealed that the 55-kD antiserum labeled corneal and limbal epithelium. In addition, the antiserum stained a subpopulation of peripheral limbal cells that were distributed in both basal and suprabasal layers of the epithelium. The monoclonal antibody AE5 was used to investigate the distribution of the 64-kD polypeptide in guinea pig and bovine tissue. Immunoblotting analysis revealed that AE5 antibodies recognized a 64-kD polypeptide in guinea pig cornea, but recognized a 66-kD polypeptide in bovine cornea. Immunofluorescence microscopic analysis of guinea pig tissue revealed that AE5 antibodies labeled suprabasal layers of corneal epithelium, in suprabasal layers of limbal epithelium, and in groups of cells in the peripheral limbal epithelium. We discuss the possibility that the ocular epithelial cells recognized by either the 55-kD or the 64-kD antibodies in the peripheral limbus may play a role in the reepithelialization of the cornea after wounding.     

Adhesion structures of amniotic membranes integrated into human corneas

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the structural relationship between integrated amniotic membrane (AM) and corneal tissues in various integration patterns, focusing on adhesion structures along the interface. METHODS: Fourteen eyes of 14 patients (age, 65.8 +/- 13.5 years) underwent penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) 19.3 +/- 20.7 weeks after cryopreserved human AM transplantation (AMT). The corneal buttons (after PKP) and the corresponding original AM (before AMT) were examined with the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunohistochemistry for integrin beta4, type VII collagen, and laminin. Main outcome measures included thickness of the corneal epithelium and AM, density of the epithelial desmosomes and hemidesmosomes, continuity, and thickness of the epithelial basement membrane. RESULTS: Integrated AM was found by slit lamp in only 2 of 14 patients, but histology and TEM revealed AM integration in 11 of 14 patients up to 77 weeks after AMT. No amniotic epithelial cell was detected in any cornea with integrated AM stroma. Three basic patterns of integration could be described: subepithelial, intraepithelial, and intrastromal. Hemidesmosomes anchored the corneal epithelial cells to the AM at a density up to 165.3 +/- 22.9 per 100 microm cell membrane length. Discontinuous basement membrane segments 17.2 +/- 4.9 nm thick could be detected. Desmosomes among recovered corneal epithelial cells were found at a density of 21.2 +/- 5.3 per 10 microm cell membrane length. CONCLUSIONS: The AM stroma can integrate into the host corneal tissue. Integration is associated with the formation of adhesion structures such as hemidesmosomes and desmosomes, which provide anchoring and stability of the regenerating corneal epithelium. The presence of integrated AM and adhesion structures with host corneal tissue supports the clinical experience obtained with AMT in ocular surface disease.     

In vitro tissue engineering of lamellar cornea using human amniotic epithelial cells and rabbit cornea stroma

AIM:To reconstruct the lamellar cornea using human amniotic epithelial (HAE) cells and rabbit cornea stroma in vitro using tissue engineering technology.METHODS: Human amnia taken from uncomplicated caesarean sections were digested by collagenase to obtain HAE cells, and the cells were cultured to proliferate. Rabbit corneal epithelial cells were removed by n-heptanol to make lamellar matrix sheets. The second passage of HAE cells were cultured on the corneal stroma sheets for 1 or 2 days, then transferred to an air-liquid interface environment to culture for 2 weeks. Tissue engineered lamellar cornea (TELC) morphology was observed by Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining; its ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM); corneal epithelial cell-specific keratin 3 and keratin 12 were detected with immunofluorescence microscopy.RESULTS:HAE cells grew on the rabbit corneal stroma, forming a monolayer after 1-2 days. About 4-5 layers of epithelial cells developed after 2 weeks of air-liquid interface cultivation, a result similar to normal corneal epithelium. Rabbit corneal stromal cells were significantly reduced after one week, then almost completely disappeared after 2 weeks. TEM showed desmosomes between the epithelial cells; hemidesmosomes formed between the epithelial cells and the basement membrane. SEM revealed that the HAE cells which grew on the lamellar cornea had abundant microvilli. The tissue-engineered cornea expressed keratin 3 and keratin 12, as detected by immunofluorescence assay.CONCLUSION: Functional tissue-engineered lamellar corneal grafts can be constructed in vitro using HAE cells and rabbit corneal stroma.     

The suprabasal layer of corneal epithelial cells represents the major barrier site to the passive movement of small molecules and trafficking leukocytes

AIMS: To investigate the site of barrier function to the passive diffusion of a small molecule (phalloidin) in the corneal epithelium in the mouse. METHODS: Penetration of phalloidin (molecular weight 1115 daltons) into the cornea was evaluated by studying fluorescent binding of phalloidin to actin in tissue sections, in whole mount preparations, and in the fixed intact globe by confocal microscopy. In addition, the location of tight junction proteins in the individual layers of the corneal epithelium was determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Phalloidin staining of corneal sections was positive in all corneal layers in tissue sections and in all layers of the corneal epithelium except the suprabasal layer in excised fixed whole mounts of the cornea. However, when phalloidin staining was attempted in intact fixed globes, before excision of the cornea for whole mount preparation, only the most superficial layer of cells was stained indicating that phalloidin could not penetrate the tissue beyond the suprabasal epithelial layer. Detergent (Triton X-100) treatment of the excised cornea and the intact fixed globe, allowed penetration of phalloidin into the suprabasal epithelial layer. Tight junction proteins occludin, ZO-1 and claudin were present in most layers of the cornea but while ZO-1 and occludin were distributed in a typical pericellular pattern, claudin seemed to be particularly prominent in the suprabasal layer and appeared only as a discontinuous punctate pericellular pattern in the superficial layer. Intraepithelial leukocytes were detected in the superficial epithelium and the basal epithelium but not in the suprabasal epithelium. CONCLUSION: The suprabasal epithelium cell layer appears to represent the main barrier site to the passage of small molecules and cells in the mouse cornea and this property may be attributable to prominent claudin expression in this layer.     

埃罗替尼对小鼠角膜上皮组织病理学及超微结构的影响

目的 探讨埃罗替尼对小鼠角膜上皮组织引起的组织病理学及超微结构改变的影响.方法 30只雄性6～8周龄BALB/c小鼠,随机分为对照组(12只)和实验组(12只),6只不作处理为空白对照.实验组使用20 μmol·L-1埃罗替尼液滴眼,对照组采用PBS滴眼,每天4次.分别在干预后1d、7d、14 d对各组小鼠进行荧光素钠(fluorescent,FL)染色及评分.干预后14 d取小鼠眼球,光学显微镜及电子显微镜下观察角膜上皮及细胞的结构变化.提取角膜蛋白进行Western Blot检测.结果 干预前,实验组和对照组FL评分比较差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).在干预后1d、7d、14 d,实验组FL评分较干预前明显升高,差异均有统计学意义(均为P＜0.05),而对照组FL评分与干预前无明显改变,差异均无统计学意义(均为P＞0.05);两组间FL评分在干预后1d相比,差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05);两组间FL评分在干预后7d、14 d相比,差异均有统计学意义(均为P＜0.05).实验组小鼠角膜上皮细胞排列紊乱,层数增加;电镜下见角膜上皮表层细胞形态不规则、脱落,微绒毛减少、消失;表层上皮细胞的桥粒、半桥粒连接数目明显减少.实验组角膜表皮生长因子受体表达明显发生变化,两组表皮生长因子受体比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 埃罗替尼会引起小鼠角膜上皮的组织结构及细胞超微结构损坏.其机制可能是通过抑制表皮生长因子受体的活化来影响角膜上皮的.     

Meibomian gland dysfunction. I. Keratin protein expression in normal human and rabbit meibomian glands

The expression of keratin proteins from meibomian glands and their correlation with skin epidermal keratins were determined. Keratin proteins were localized in both human and rabbit meibomian glands by indirect immunofluorescence using mouse monoclonal antibodies AE1, AE2 and AE3, which are known to react with human epidermal keratins as well as with keratins from other sources. Keratin proteins from rabbit meibomian glands were further isolated and characterized by SDS-PAGE and immunoblot using mouse monoclonal antibodies AE1 and AE3. Meibomian glands from human and rabbit showed similar immunofluorescent staining with each monoclonal antibody. AE1 antibody, which stains human basal epithelial cells of skin, stains all duct epithelial cells in the human but only the superficial duct epithelial cells in the rabbit meibomian gland. AE2 antibody, which stains human suprabasal epithelial cells of skin and is a marker for fully keratinized epithelia, stains the suprabasal epithelial cells of the central duct and ductules in both the human and rabbit meibomian gland. AE3 antibody, which stains all human epithelial cells of skin, stains all epithelial cells of the duct and ductules, as well as the basal epithelial cells of the acinus in both the human and rabbit meibomian gland. Keratins isolated from whole rabbit meibomian glands contained a 65-67 kD and 58 kD AE3-positive, and a 56.5 kD and 50 kD AE1-positive keratin protein. Expression of 65-67 kD/56.5 kD keratin proteins, and the immunofluorescent staining of the duct epithelium by the AE2 antibody, indicate that the meibomian gland duct epithelium is committed to the process of keratinization.     

Connexin 43 expression and proliferation of human limbal epithelium on intact and denuded amniotic membrane.

PURPOSE: Stem cell (SC)-containing limbal basal epithelium and transient amplifying cell (TAC)-containing corneal basal epithelium lie on different mesenchymal matrices. The gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) is absent in the limbal basal epithelium but is present in the corneal basal epithelium, suggesting that the expression of Cx43 denotes SC differentiation into TACs. Amniotic membrane (AM) can expand limbal epithelial progenitor cells in vivo and in culture for subsequent corneal surface reconstruction. In this study, the modulation of Cx43 expression, gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC), and proliferative activity of ex vivo expanded human limbal epithelial (HLE) cells on intact and epithelially denuded AM was investigated. METHODS: HLE cells were expanded on intact (i.e., remaining devitalized amniotic epithelium) or epithelially denuded AM (EDTA-treated). Cx43 expression and 24-hour 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine-5'monophosphate (BrdU) labeling index (percentage) were determined by double immunostaining. GJIC was investigated by a scrape-loading dye transfer assay. In a subset of cultures Cx43 and K3 keratin as well as BrdU-retaining nuclei were analyzed in the stratified epithelium obtained 5 days after subcutaneous transplantation in NIH bg-nu-xidBR mice of AM cultures continuously labeled with BrdU for 7 days. RESULTS: The outgrowth rate, overall, was significantly higher on EDTA-treated AM than on intact AM (P < 0.05). Cx43 was expressed in 12.4% +/- 14.5% (n = 5) on intact and 57.5% +/- 18.2% (n = 5) on EDTA-treated AM (P < 0.05). The BrdU labeling index was 2.4% +/- 0.9% (n = 5) for the intact AM group, which was significantly less than 22.5% +/- 8.2% (n = 5) for EDTA-treated AM (P < 0.05). BrdU-labeled cells did not express Cx43. The dye transfer assay revealed reduced GJIC on both AM-cultured groups compared with the control culture on plastic (P < 0.002). GJIC on intact AM (17%) was reduced compared with that on EDTA-treated AM (27%; P = 0.42). After xenotransplantation, the basal layer of the stratified epithelium was Cx43 and K3 keratin negative and retained BrdU on intact AM, resembling characteristics of the limbal basal epithelium in vivo. In contrast, that of EDTA-treated AM was Cx43 and K3 keratin positive without BrdU retention, resembling characteristics of the corneal epithelium in vivo. CONCLUSION: These data indicate that denudation of the devitalized amniotic epithelium to expose its basement membrane might be a microenvironmental cue to promote TAC differentiation. The model system described herein is ideal for future exploration of the exact mechanistic operation in the microenvironmental niche that maintains the "stemness" of limbal SCs as well as in the signal that promotes corneal TAC differentiation.     

Cytoskeletal antigen expression in ocular mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue.

The human lacrimal gland (LG) and ocular surface contain discrete regions of epithelial cells with specific functions and at different stages of cellular differentiation. Epithelial cells contain cytoskeletal antigens that show a differentiation-dependent pattern of expression. The objective of this study was to characterize the various epithelial cell populations in normal human ocular mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT; LG, conjunctiva, and cornea) based on their immunohistochemical staining patterns with anticytoskeletal monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) reactive with cytokeratins (AE-1, AE-2, AE-3, AE-5, AE-14, PKK1, and 34 beta E12), muscle-specific actin (HHF35), and vimentin. AE-1 stained LG (acini, ducts, and myoepithelia) and the full thickness of corneal and conjunctival epithelia. It stained only the superficial and basal limbal epithelium. AE-2 weakly stained all epithelia, except LG acini and proximal intralobular ducts. AE-3 and 34 beta E12 MoAbs had strong immunoreactivity with all MALT epithelia. AE-5 strongly stained the inner cells (suprabasal) of LG central intra- and interlobular ducts and the suprabasal epithelial layers of the cornea. It weakly stained LG myoepithelia and the superficial conjunctival epithelium. AE-14 stained the outer (basal) cells of LG central intra- and interlobular ducts, LG myoepithelia, basal epithelial layers of the limbus and conjunctiva, and all corneal epithelia. PKK1 stained all epithelia, except the basal limbus. HHF35 and the antivimentin MoAbs stained only the LG myoepithelia. The results of these studies indicate that the different epithelia in human ocular MALT may be differentiated by specific patterns of immunoreactivity with anticytoskeletal MoAbs. These MoAbs may be useful molecular markers for identifying ocular MALT epithelia.     

Corneal epithelial stem cells at the limbus: looking at some old problems from a new angle

Corneal epithelium is traditionally thought to be a self-sufficient, self-renewing tissue implying that its stem cells are located in its basal cell layer. Recent studies indicate however that corneal epithelial stem cells reside in the basal layer of peripheral cornea in the limbal zone, and that corneal and conjunctival epithelia represent distinct cell lineages. These ideas are supported by the unique limbal/corneal expression pattern of the K3 keratin marker for corneal-type differentiation; the restriction of the slow-cycling (label-retaining) cells in the limbus; the distinct keratin expression patterns of corneal and conjunctival epithelial cells even when they are provided with identical in vivo and in vitro growth environments; and the limbal cells' superior ability as compared with central corneal epithelial cells in undergoing in vitro proliferation and in reconstituting in vivo an intact corneal epithelium. The realization that corneal epithelial stem cells reside in the limbal zone provides explanations for several paradoxical properties of corneal epithelium including its 'mature-looking' basal cells, the preponderance of tumor formation in the limbal zone, and the centripetal cellular migration. The limbal stem cell concept has led to a better understanding of the strategies of corneal epithelial repair, to a new classification of various anterior surface epithelial diseases, to the use of limbal stem cells for the reconstruction of corneal epithelium damaged or lost as a consequence of trauma or disease ('limbal stem cell transplantation'), and to the rejection of the traditional notion of 'conjunctival transdifferentiation'. The fact that corneal epithelial stem cells reside outside of the cornea proper suggests that studying corneal epithelium per se without taking into account its limbal zone will yield partial pictures. Future studies need to address the signals that constitute the limbal stem cell niche, the mechanism by which amniotic membrane facilitates limbal stem cell transplantation and ex vivo expansion, and the lineage flexibility of limbal stem cells.     

Comparative study of four culture methods to engineer murine corneal epithelial sheet

AIM: To investigate the roles of feeder cells in stratification of murine corneal epithelial cells and build an ideal method to engineer stratified epithelial sheet. METHODS: Using contact feeder culture, separated feeder culture, compound feeder culture and culture without feeder cells by air-lifting method in Transwell chamber culture system, tissue engineered corneal epithelium was reconstructed. Corneal sheets were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) for histological observation. The expression of p63 and keratin 19 (K19) and involucrin (IVL) was investigated by immunocyto- chemistry analysis. RESULTS: Stratification was limited to three to four layers in the contact feeder group, whereas separate feeder sheets were slightly more stratified. The compound feeder group produced a stratified epithelium with five to seven layers of cells. The group without 3T3 feeder cells formed only two to three layers of cells. Immunostaining images in the compound feeder group showed expression of progenitor markers p63 and K19 in the basal and suprabasal layer, as well as differentiation marker involucrin in all layers. CONCLUSION: The remarkable stratification as well as the limbal phenotype makes the compound feeder system a candidate tool for cultivating transplantable epithelial sheets.     

Ex vivo preservation and expansion of human limbal epithelial stem cells on amniotic membrane cultures

BACKGROUND/AIM: Amniotic membrane (AM) transplantation effectively expands the remaining limbal epithelial stem cells in patients with partial limbal stem cell deficiency. The authors investigated whether this action could be produced ex vivo. METHODS: The outgrowth rate on AM was compared among explants derived from human limbus, peripheral cornea, and central cornea. For outgrowth of human limbal epithelial cells (HLEC), cell cycle kinetics were measured by BrdU labelling for 1 or 7 days, of which the latter was also chased in primary cultures, secondary 3T3 fibroblast cultures, and in athymic Balb/c mice following a brief treatment with a phorbol ester. Epithelial morphology was studied by histology and transmission electron microscopy, and phenotype was defined by immunostaining with monoclonal antibodies to keratins and mucins. RESULTS: Outgrowth rate was 0/22 (0%) and 2/24 (8.3%) for central and peripheral corneal explants, respectively, but was 77/80 (96.2%) for limbal explants (p <0.0001). 24 hour BrdU labelling showed a uniformly low (that is, less than 5%) labelling index in 65% of the limbal explants, but a mixed pattern with areas showing a high (that is, more than 40%) labelling index in 35% of limbal explants, and in all (100%) peripheral corneal explants. Continuous BrdU labelling for 7 days detected a high labelling index in 61.5% of the limbal explants with the remainder still retaining a low labelling index. A number of label retaining cells were noted after 7 day labelling followed by 14 days of chase in primary culture or by 21 days of chase after transplantation to 3T3 fibroblast feeder layers. After exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate for 24 hours and 7 day labelling, HLEC transplanted in athymic mice still showed a number of label retaining basal cells after 9 days of chase. HLEC cultured on AM were strongly positive for K14 keratin and MUC4 and slightly positive in suprabasal cells for K3 keratin but negative for K12 keratin, AMEM2, and MUC5AC. After subcutaneous implantation in athymic mice, the resultant epithelium was markedly stratified and the basal epithelial cells were strongly positive for K14 keratin, while the suprabasal epithelial cells were strongly positive for K3 keratin and MUC4, and the entire epithelium was negative for K12 keratin and MUC5A/C. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the notion that AM cultures preferentially preserve and expand limbal epithelial stem cells that retain their in vivo properties of slow cycling, label retaining, and undifferentiation. This finding supports the feasibility of ex vivo expansion of limbal epithelial stem cells for treating patients with total limbal stem cell deficiency using a small amount of donor limbal tissue.     

A novel mutation in KRT12 associated with Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy

BACKGROUND: The molecular basis of Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy (MECD) has recently been attributed to mutations in the cornea specific keratin genes KRT3 and KRT12. The mechanisms by which these mutations cause the Meesmann's phenotype are not clear. This study presents new data, examines clinical, histological, ultrastructural, and molecular aspects of MECD, and compares the features seen in this condition with those observed in other well studied keratin diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa simplex. METHODS: A two generation family with typical features of Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy (MECD) was studied. All family members were examined under a slit lamp. Biopsy material from elective keratoplasty was studied by histopathological and ultrastructural analysis using standard techniques. Direct automated sequencing of genomic DNA was used for mutation detection, mutations were confirmed by restriction digest analysis. RESULTS: The abnormal corneal epithelium was acanthotic and contained numerous dyskeratotic cells and intraepithelial vesicles. By electron microscopy abnormally aggregated and clumped keratin filament bundles were detected in basal and suprabasal keratinocytes from the centre of the cornea. Direct sequencing of the patients' genomic DNA revealed a novel missense mutation (423T>G) in exon 1 of the cornea specific keratin 12 (KRT12) gene. This mutation predicts the amino acid change N133K within the helix initiation motif of the K12 polypeptide. Comparative studies with well established keratin disorders of other human epithelia underscore the pathogenic relevance of K3 and K12 gene mutations in Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy. The morphological data presented here illustrate the disruptive effects of keratin gene mutations on the integrity of corneal keratinocytes. CONCLUSIONS: A clinical, histopathological, and ultrastructural study of a previously unreported family with MECD is presented. In this family the disease is ascribed to a novel mutation in KRT12. A molecular mechanism is proposed for MECD based on the comparison with other well characterised keratin diseases.