Project description:In this study, a RAD21 variant, R450C, is found associated with a peripheral sclerocornea pedigree. Omics analyses including RNAseq and Hi-C were applied to identify the expression and chromosome conformation of cell adhesion genes were affected by this variant.
Project description:Human corneal endothelial cells (HCEC) form a monolayer by adhering tightly through their intercellular adhesion molecules. Located at the posterior corneal surface, they maintain corneal translucency by dehydrating the corneal stroma, mainly through the Na+- and K+-dependent ATPase (Na+/K+-ATPase). Because HCEC proliferative activity is low in vivo,we tried to activate proliferation of HCEC by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.We have here demonstrated microarray data of transduced human corneal endothelial cell lines. Affymetrix human U133 plus 2.0 array was used to transcriptionally profile to compare cultured human corneal endothelial cells and transduced human corneal endothelial cells.
Project description:Previously, we identified RAD21R450C from a peripheral sclerocornea pedigree. Injection of this rad21 variant mRNA into Xenopus laevis embryos disrupted the organization of corneal stroma fibrils. To understand the mechanisms of RAD21-mediated corneal stroma defects, gene expression and chromosome conformation analysis were performed using cells from family members affected by peripheral sclerocornea. Both gene expression and chromosome conformation of cell adhesion genes were affected in cells carrying the heterozygous rad21 variant. Since cell migration is essential in early embryonic development and sclerocornea is a congenital disease, we studied neural crest migration during cornea development in X. laevis embryos. In X. laevis embryos injected with rad21 mutant mRNA, neural crest migration was disrupted, and the number of neural crest-derived periocular mesenchymes decreased significantly in the corneal stroma region. Our data indicate that the RAD21R450C variant contributes to peripheral sclerocornea by modifying chromosome conformation and gene expression, therefore disturbing neural crest cell migration, which suggests RAD21 plays a key role in corneal stroma development.
Project description:To elucidate biological processes underlying the keratocyte, fibroblast, and myofibroblast phenotypes of corneal stromal cells, the gene expression patterns of these primary cultures from mouse cornea were compared with those of the adult and 10-day postnatal mouse cornea. Keywords = corneal stroma maturation keratocyte fibroblast myofibroblast TGF beta 1 Keywords: other
Project description:Human corneal endothelial cells (HCEC) form a monolayer by adhering tightly through their intercellular adhesion molecules. Located at the posterior corneal surface, they maintain corneal translucency by dehydrating the corneal stroma, mainly through the Na+- and K+-dependent ATPase (Na+/K+-ATPase). Because HCEC proliferative activity is low in vivo,we tried to activate proliferation of HCEC by inhibiting cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors.We have here demonstrated microarray data of transduced human corneal endothelial cell lines.
Project description:Cornea transplantation is a widely performed procedure globally. However, storing donor corneas for extended periods in Optisol-GS storage medium at 4 ℃ can lead to reduced endothelial cell viability, causing severe stromal edema and opacification. This negatively impacts transplantation success. The corneal stroma, crucial for maintaining shape and transparency, was subjected to proteomic analysis after 7- or 14-day preservation. Among 1,545 identified proteins, 1,113 were quantifiable, with 255 significantly regulated in longer preservation. Proteins related to ocular surface immunomodulation decreased, while those involved in extracellular matrix reorganization and fibrosis increased after 14 days. The observed upregulation of extracellular matrix structural proteins and growth factor signaling suggests the occurrence of stromal fibrosis, potentially leading to compromised tissue clarity and vision impairments. This study provides novel insights into the impact of preservation duration on the corneal stroma from a proteomic perspective. Our findings may aid future research in developing long-term preservation techniques and enhancing the quality of preserved corneas, thereby maximizing their clinical usefulness.
Project description:Considerable interest has been generated for the development through cell-tissue engineering of suitable corneal endothelial graft alternatives, which can potentially alleviate the shortage of corneal transplant material. The advent of less invasive suture-less key-hole surgery options such as DescemetM-bM-^@M-^Ys Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK) and DescemetM-bM-^@M-^Ys Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), which involve transplantation of solely the endothelial layer instead of full thickness cornea, provide further impetus for the development of alternative endothelial grafts for clinical applications. A major challenge for this endeavor is the lack of specific markers for this cell type. To identify genes that reliably mark corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in vivo and in vitro, we performed RNA-sequencing on freshly isolated human CECs (from both young and old donors), CEC cultures, and corneal stroma. Gene expression of these corneal cell types were also compared to that of other human tissue types. Based on high throughput comparative gene expression analysis, we identified a panel of markers that are: i) highly expressed in CECs from both young donors and old donors; ii) expressed in CECs in vivo and in vitro; and iii) not expressed in corneal stroma keratocytes and the activated corneal stroma fibroblasts. These were SLC4A11, COL8A2 and CYYR1. The use of this panel of genes in combination reliably ascertains the identity of the CEC cell type. A total of 20 donor corneas consisting of 10 single donor corneas and 5 paired donor corneas were used in this study. Donor age ranged from 19 - 76. This RNA-seq study included 15 pooled corneas (5 each) used form CEC old, CEC young and stroma samples.
Project description:The cornea, composed of epithelium, stroma and endothelium, protects the anterior compartment of the eye from damage and allows transmission of light into the eye. While well described morphologically, no studies have investigated the global gene expression changes in the cornea throughout the mouseM-bM-^@M-^Ys life. We characterized the global gene expression profile of mouse cornea from early development through aging, and compared to gene expression in other epithelial tissue, to identify cornea enriched genes, pathways, and transcriptional regulators. We identified Ehf, an ets family transcription factor, as being highly selectively expressed in the corneal epithelium compared to the stroma, and highly expressed in cornea compared to other epithelial tissues. siRNA experiments and Ehf ChIP-Seq on mouse corneal epithelium confirm the role of this factor in promoting epithelial identity and cell differentiation, and suggest it carries out these functions through interactions with other cornea epithelial differentiation factors including Klf4. Whole eye globes were dissected from wild type CB6 mice. Corneal epithelium was isolated by digestion in 50% EMEM/dispase II with 50 mM sorbitol for two hours at 37M-BM-0C. ChIP was performed with an Ehf antibody, and was sequenced with an input control.
Project description:Considerable interest has been generated for the development through cell-tissue engineering of suitable corneal endothelial graft alternatives, which can potentially alleviate the shortage of corneal transplant material. The advent of less invasive suture-less key-hole surgery options such as Descemet’s Stripping Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSEK) and Descemet’s Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK), which involve transplantation of solely the endothelial layer instead of full thickness cornea, provide further impetus for the development of alternative endothelial grafts for clinical applications. A major challenge for this endeavor is the lack of specific markers for this cell type. To identify genes that reliably mark corneal endothelial cells (CECs) in vivo and in vitro, we performed RNA-sequencing on freshly isolated human CECs (from both young and old donors), CEC cultures, and corneal stroma. Gene expression of these corneal cell types were also compared to that of other human tissue types. Based on high throughput comparative gene expression analysis, we identified a panel of markers that are: i) highly expressed in CECs from both young donors and old donors; ii) expressed in CECs in vivo and in vitro; and iii) not expressed in corneal stroma keratocytes and the activated corneal stroma fibroblasts. These were SLC4A11, COL8A2 and CYYR1. The use of this panel of genes in combination reliably ascertains the identity of the CEC cell type.
Project description:We identified a family with a novel chromosome 13 microdeletion associated with a syndromic form of corneal opacification. In order to determine which genes in/around the microdeletion were contributing to the constellation of phenotypes, a corneal epithelial sample was obtained during a superficial keratectomy of the proband's 9-year-old brother.