Project description:The major focus of Dr. Argueso's research is to characterize the carbohydrate portion of the different mucins expressed by the ocular surface epithelia as well as the enzymes involved with their synthesis, and to determine whether the alteration of mucin glycosylation is associated with ocular surface disease.
Project description:The major focus of Dr. Argueso's research is to characterize the carbohydrate portion of the different mucins expressed by the ocular surface epithelia as well as the enzymes involved with their synthesis, and to determine whether the alteration of mucin glycosylation is associated with ocular surface disease. Highly glycosylated mucins on the ocular surface (cornea and conjunctiva) are the first line of defense of the eye against injury and infection. Changes in O-glycosylation of mucins may cause ocular surface disorders, such as dry eye. Gene expression patterns in the conjunctival epithelium of three normal subjects were analyzed. The three subjects have the same ABO-blood-group. For each donor, conjunctival cells were obtained by impression cytology. Conjunctival impression cytology was performed on each eye two times with a one-week interval. Conjunctival cells obtained from each individual were pooled and the RNA isolated. All three samples were hybridized to the custom designed CFG GLYCOv2 glycogene array.
Project description:OSM - Determination of the intra- and interindividuality as well as the stability of the ocular surface microbiome and tear proteome in healthy individuals at baseline and after 2 and 8 months.
Project description:The glycocalyx is a critical but often underappreciated modulator of cellular behavior. Its diversity across cell types within tissues remains poorly understood, but recent advances in single-cell profiling now enable more precise analysis of cell surface composition. Here, we applied single-cell glycan and RNA sequencing to profile glycocalyx diversity across human and mouse ocular surface cell types. Glycocalyx patterns effectively distinguished epithelial subtypes, with corneal epithelial cells enriched in complex and high-mannose N-glycans, conjunctival cells in fucosylated structures, and goblet cells in O-glycans. We also observed dynamic changes during epithelial maturation, marked by regulated shifts in sialic acid structures. In the mouse ocular surface, glycocalyx patterns distinguished major cell types, but the glycan profiles differed from those in humans, pointing to species-specific features. These findings demonstrate that glycocalyx composition is closely linked to cell identity and maturation and provide a foundation for exploring its roles in tissue organization and disease.
