Stimulatory effects of fibronectin and EGF on migration of corneal epithelial cells.

The effects of fibronectin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the migration of corneal epithelial cells in situ were investigated. When rabbit corneal blocks were cultured in serum-free medium with fibronectin or EGF, corneal epithelial cells migrated on the cut surface of the stroma. Histological and electron microscopic studies revealed that the leading edge of the fibronectin-treated cornea was thin, single-layered epithelium, whereas the leading edge of the EGF-treated cornea was a hypertrophic, multilayered epithelium. By autoradiography with 3H-thymidine, the authors observed that EGF stimulated corneal epithelial cell proliferation; however, fibronectin had no effect on cell proliferation. These results demonstrate that fibronectin and EGF enhance migration of corneal epithelial cells in different ways: Fibronectin facilitates sliding of epithelium, whereas EGF increases cell proliferation.