Immunohistochemical expression of epithelial cell markers in corneas with congenital aniridia and ocular cicatrizing pemphigoid

Abstract

ABSTRACT.Purpose: We investigated the immunohistochemical characteristics of corneal specimens in congenital aniridia and pemphigoid using various corneal markers to determine the status of the corneal epithelium. Methods: Conjunctivalization was clinically suspected in all corneas. Ten aniridia and seven pemphigoid paraffin-embedded corneal specimens were stained with periodic Schiff reagent (PAS) and antibodies against CK3 ⁄ 12, CK12, CK19, breast cancer resistance protein 1 (BCRP) and p63. Results: Aniridia: six cases contained goblet cells, four were negative. Both groups had cases with (three of six; one of four) and without CK19 positivity and cases with (two of six; three of four) and without p63 positivity. All aniridia cases except two in the goblet cell group were CK3 ⁄ 12-and CK12-positive and BCRP-negative. Pemphigoid: only one of the seven cases contained goblet cells. This case stained positively for CK19, 3 ⁄ 12, 12 and p63 and negatively for BCRP. The other six cases were positive for CK3 ⁄ 12, five of which were positive for CK12; only one case was CK19-positive. Three cases were p63-positive and two BCRP-positive. The CK12 staining was heterogenous in most cases and was often found in the superficial layer. Conclusion: Three different stages of epithelial characteristics were found in congenital aniridia and pemphigoid: (i) CK19-negative and inhomogenous CK12-positive cases indicating epithelium mainly from (partly) CK12-deficient limbal stem cells; (ii) CK19-and ⁄ or goblet cell-positive and CK12-positive cases with their epithelia originating from CK12-deficient limbal stem cells and from incursing conjunctival cells; and (iii) CK19-positive and CK12-negative cases consisting of conjunctival cells alone.

Corneal surface reconstruction using adult mesenchymal stem cells in experimental limbal stem cell deficiency in rabbits

“…Goblet cells, which migrated first onto the corneal surface, disappeared within a few weeks (Wei et al 1993). Therefore, the presence of goblet cells is not a reliable marker of conjunctivalization, as in humans, as have been shown in other studies (Auw-Haedrich et al 2009).…”

Células madre Mesenquimales de tejido adiposo como tratamiento de la superficie ocular en la deficiencia de células madre limbares

“…According to these results, a decrease of goblet cells has been described in chemical burn cases 40 or in rabbits some weeks after the creation of the injury. 87,214,219,220 In the present work, hAT-MSCs migrated to the inflamed areas (limbal stroma) in both, partial and the total LSCD models. In agreement with our results, the migration of topically applied hAT-MSCs to burned cornea and limbus has been described by other authors.…”

“…Por otra parte, se ha descrito que las células caliciformes que migran en un primer momento desde la conjuntiva hacia el epitelio corneal en modelos experimentales desarrollados en conejos acaban desapareciendo de la superficie de la córnea al cabo de unas pocas semanas. 87,214,219,220 En el caso del modelo porcino de SIL, aunque en las citologías de impresión corneal recogidas durante las primeras revisiones se observaron gran cantidad de células caliciformes, a lo largo del tiempo de seguimiento la presencia de las mismas fue disminuyendo, aunque sin desaparecer por completo como se observó en la histología a tiempo final. A pesar de ello, en todo momento se observaron mayor cantidad de células caliciformes en el modelo porcino que en los modelos desarrollados en conejo.…”

“…Como ya se ha señalado anteriormente, esta ausencia de células caliciformes podría deberse a que durante la inducción del modelo se realizó una quemadura del epitelio corneal 40 o a que células caliciformes que hubieran migrado en un primer momento desde la conjuntiva hacia el epitelio corneal acabaran desapareciendo de la superficie de la córnea al cabo de unas pocas semanas. 87,214,219,220 Aunque algunos autores atribuyen a las MSCs la capacidad de transdiferenciación hacia epitelio corneal, 75,[81][82][83]87 solamente dos trabajos han demostrado que las células MSCs que habían sido administradas in vivo expresaban el marcador CK3 una vez que habían migrado hasta el epitelio corneal. 75,83 Ha de tenerse en cuenta que nuestro grupo de investigación y otros grupos han descrito que las MSCs cultivadas en condiciones estándar expresan el marcador CK3 in vitro.…”

Isolation, Cultivation And Phenotypization Of Human Corneal Stroma And Endothelial Cells–Implications For Tissue Engineering And Transplantation

“…[102] Claudin 14 was not expressed in cultured HCEnCs and this, on the other hand, corresponds to results from another study. [102] Cytokeratin 19 expression is characteristic of the limbal epithelium and conjunctiva [103] and was found to exhibit low expression in HCEnCs and B4G12 compared to CSCs. These results indicate that while primary cells and the endothelial cell line express genes in a similar manner, the magnitude of expression differs and thus cannot be considered a great representation of each other.…”