The cornea is innervated by three main functional classes of sensory neurons: polymodal nociceptors, pure mechano-nociceptors and cold-sensing neurons. Here we explored transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) expression in guinea pig corneal sensory neurons, a widely used molecular marker of polymodal nociceptors. We used retrograde tracing to identify corneal a...

The cornea is composed of a multilayered epithelium, Bowman's membrane, stroma, Descemet's membrane, and endothelium. The corneal endothelium (CE) is a single layer of hexagonal cells that separates the corneal stroma from the aqueous humor of the anterior chamber. Transparency of the cornea is maintained by regulation of stromal hydration through the barrier and pump functions of the CE, and c...

PURPOSE To determine if human corneal and conjunctival epithelial synthesize MUC1 mucin, a membrane-spanning mucin present in a variety of simple epithelia. METHODS Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to examine the expression of MUC1 mRNA by epithelial cells, using total cellular RNA prepared from cultured corneal epithelial cells and conjunctival epithel...

It is generally believed that plasma membrane glycoconjugates influence corneal epithelial cell migration after wounding. Previous studies have focused on the role of glycoproteins in this event. The present study was designed to determine whether migration-specific glycolipids are synthesized by epithelium of healing rabbit corneas. Migrating and nonmigrating rabbit corneal epithelia were incu...

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the proliferative behavior of rabbit corneal epithelium and establish if any particular region was preferentially involved in epithelial maintenance. [3H]-thymidine was injected intravitreally into both normal eyes and eyes with partially scraped corneal epithelium. Semithin sections of the anterior segment were evaluated by quantitative autoradi...

OBJECTIVE To describe the early results of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in patients who had previously undergone cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation. METHODS Medical records of patients with limbal stem cell deficiency due to chemical burns who underwent PKP after cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation were reviewed for demographics, primary etiology, type of limbal transplan...

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) remodels corneal stroma to compensate refractive errors. The removal of epithelium and the ablation of stroma provoke the disruption of corneal nerves and a release of several peptides from tears, epithelium, stroma and nerves. A myriad of cytokines, growth factors, and matrix metalloproteases participate in the process of corneal wound healing. Their balance w...

PURPOSE Apolipoprotein J (apoJ) expression has been detected in various mouse mucosal epithelial cells, as well as in the human ciliary body, retina, vitreous humor, and aqueous humor. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression and localization pattern of apoJ mRNA transcripts and protein in the human ocular surface epithelium. METHODS The expression of apoJ mRNA in corneal and...