Lumican/Lumikine Promotes Healing of Corneal Epithelium Debridement by Upregulation of EGFR Ligand Expression via Noncanonical Smad-Independent TGFβ/TBRs Signaling.

The synthetic peptide of lumican C-terminal 13 amino acids with the cysteine replaced by an alanine, hereafter referred to as lumikine (LumC13: YEALRVANEVTLN), binds to TGFβ type I receptor/activin-like kinase5 (TBR1/ALK5) in the activated TGFβ receptor complex to promote corneal epithelial wound healing. The present study aimed to identify the minimum essential amino acid epitope necessary to exert the effects of lumikine via ALK5 and to determine the role of the Y (tyrosine) residue for promoting corneal epithelium wound healing. This study also aimed to determine the signaling pathway(s) triggered by lumican-ALK5 binding.

Effects of Ripasudil Hydrochloride on Epithelial Repair in a Mouse Cornea.

Purpose: Effect of topical administration of a Rho kinase inhibitor, ripasudil, on epithelial wound healing in a mouse cornea was investigated. Effects of treatment of cultured human corneal epithelial cell (HCEC) line and organ-cultured corneal epithelium with ripasudil on expression of p-ERK was also examined.

Methods: Epithelial defects with a diameter of 2.

Delayed regression of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization in TNFα-null mice.

We investigated the effects of lacking TNFα on the development and regression of Argon-laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in mice. We lasered ocular fundus for induction of CNV in both wild-type (WT) and TNFα-null (KO) mice. Fluorescence angiography was performed to examine the size of CNV lesions.

Effects of a prostaglandin F2alpha derivative glaucoma drug on EGF expression and E-cadherin expression in a corneal epithelial cell line.

We examined the effects of travoprost on cell proliferation-related signals and E-cadherin expression and in order to obtain evidence to support the hypothesis that topical travoprost impairs the integrity of the corneal epithelium. A human corneal epithelial cell culture was treated with travoprost (0.4 mg/ml) and/or PD168393 (an EGF receptor inhibitor, 10 μM).

Verification of mathematical models of response threshold through statistical characterisation of the foraging activity in ant societies.

The concept of response threshold (RT) has been developed to explain task allocation in social insect colonies, wherein individual workers engage in tasks depending on their responsiveness to the task-related stimulus. Moreover, a mathematical model of RT has been proposed to explain data obtained from task allocation experiments; however, its applicability range warrants clarification through adequate quantitative analysis. Hence, we used an automatic measuring system to count passage events between a nest chamber and a foraging arena in five colonies of ants, Camponotus japonicus.

Impaired healing of cornea incision injury in a TRPV1-deficient mouse.

The present study attempts to elucidate the role of TRPV1 cation channel receptor on primary repair in an incision-wounded mouse cornea in vivo. Previous study revealed that blocking TRPV1 suppressed myofibroblast formation and expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) in cultured keratocytes or ocular fibroblasts. Male C57BL/6 (wild-type; WT) mice and male C57BL/6 Trpv1-null (KO) mice incurred a full-thickness incision injury (1.

UMATracker: an intuitive image-based tracking platform.

Image-based tracking software are regarded as valuable tools in collective animal behaviour studies. For such operations, image preprocessing is a prerequisite, and the users are required to build an appropriate image-processing pipeline for extracting the shape of animals. Even if the users successfully design an image-processing pipeline, unexpected noise in the video frame may significantly reduce the tracking accuracy in the tracking step.

Lack of plakoglobin impairs integrity and wound healing in corneal epithelium in mice.

We generated cornea-specific plakoglobin (Jup; junctional plakoglobin) knockout mice in order to investigate the function of plakoglobin on the maintenance of the homeostasis of corneal epithelium in mice. Cornea epithelium-specific conditional knockouts (Jup) (cKO) were obtained by breeding keratin12-Cre (Krt12-Cre) mice to Jup-floxed (Jup) mice. Light and transmission electron microscopic and immunohistochemical analyses were carried out to determine consequence of the loss of plakoglobin on maintaining corneal epithelium integrity under mechanical stress, e.

Ocular surface alkali injury damages meibomian glands in mice.

Purpose: To examine effects of alkali injury of the ocular surface on meibomian gland pathology in mice.

Methods: Three μL of 1 N NaOH were applied under general anesthesia to the right eye of 10-week-old BALB/c (n = 54) mice to produce a total ocular surface alkali burn. The meibomian gland morphology was examined at days 1, 2, 5, 10, and 20 by stereomicroscopy and non-contact infrared meibography.

Loss of TRPV4 Function Suppresses Inflammatory Fibrosis Induced by Alkali-Burning Mouse Corneas.

In humans suffering from pulmonary disease and a mouse model, transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) channel activation contributes to fibrosis. As a corneal alkali burn induces the same response, we determined if such an effect is also attributable to TRPV4 activation in mice. Accordingly, we determined if the alkali burn wound healing responses in wild-type (WT) mice are different than those in their TRPV4-null (KO) counterpart.

Selection of the Rotation Direction for a Camphor Disk Resulting from Chiral Asymmetry of a Water Chamber.

Self-motion of a camphor disk rotating inside a water chamber composed of two half-disks was investigated. The half-disks were joined along their diameter segments, and the distance between their midpoints (ds) was considered as the control parameter. Various types of camphor disk motions were observed depending on ds.

Effects of epiplakin-knockdown in cultured corneal epithelial cells.

Background: To investigate effects of knockdown of epiplakin gene expression on the homeostasis of cultured corneal epithelial cell line. We previously reported acceleration of corneal epithelial wound healing in an epiplakin-null mouse.

Methods: Gene expression of epiplakin was knockdowned by employing siRNA transfection in SV40-immortalized human corneal epithelial cell line.

Inhibition of development of laser-induced choroidal neovascularization with suppression of infiltration of macrophages in Smad3-null mice.

We evaluated the effects of the loss of Smad3 on the development of experimental argon laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in mice. An in vitro angiogenesis model was also used to examine the role of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGFβ1)/Smad3 signaling in vessel-like tube formation by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). CNV was induced in eyes of 8-12-week-old B6.

Pathobiology of wound healing after glaucoma filtration surgery.

Conjunctival and subconjunctival fibrogenesis and inflammation are sight compromising side effects that can occur subsequent to glaucoma filtration surgery. Despite initial declines in intraocular pressure resulting from increasing aqueous outflow, one of the activated responses includes marshalling of proinflammatory and pro-fibrogenic cytokine mediator entrance into the aqueous through a sclerostomy window and their release by local cells, as well as infiltrating activated immune cells. These changes induce dysregulated inflammation, edema and extracellular matrix remodeling, which occlude outflow facility.

Modulation of Smad signaling by non-TGFβ components in myofibroblast generation during wound healing in corneal stroma.

Corneal scarring/fibrosis disturbs normal transparency and curvature of the tissue and thus impairs vision. The lesion is characterized by appearance of myofibroblasts, the key player of the fibrogenic reaction, and excess accumulation of extracellular matrix. Inflammatory/fibrogenic growth factors or cytokines expressed in inflammatory cells that infiltrate into injured tissues play a pivotal role in fibrotic tissue formation.

Suppression of In Vivo Neovascularization by the Loss of TRPV1 in Mouse Cornea.

To investigate the effects of loss of transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor 1 (TRPV1) on the development of neovascularization in corneal stroma in mice. Blocking TRPV1 receptor did not affect VEGF-dependent neovascularization in cell culture. Lacking TRPV1 inhibited neovascularization in corneal stroma following cauterization.

Transient Receptor Potential Channels and Corneal Stromal Inflammation.

Corneal transparency is dependent on the maintenance of the structural integrity and functional activity of its epithelial and endothelial limiting layers and the stroma. Different transient receptor potential (TRP) channel subtypes are expressed in cells and on corneal sensory nerve endings. They serve as sensors and transducers of environmental stimuli that can reduce tissue transparency.

Disruption of eyelid and cornea morphogenesis by epithelial β-catenin gain-of-function.

Purpose: To examine the developmental pathobiology of the eyelid and the cornea caused by epithelial β-catenin gain-of-function (gof) during mouse embryogenesis.

Methods: Compound mutant mice (Ctnnb1(GOFOSE) , gof of β-catenin in the epidermis and the ocular surface epithelium) were generated by time-mating keratin 5-promoter-Cre recombinase (Krt5-Cre) and Ctnnb1(fE3/WT) (floxed exon 3 of Ctnnb1) mice. Eyes obtained from wild-type (WT) and mutant embryos at various gestation stages until E18.

Histological analysis of a cornea following experimental femtosecond laser ablation.

Corneal photorefractive surgery is currently performed by ablation of corneal stroma under the stromal flap. A stromal flap is created using a femtosecond (FS) laser or mechanical microkeratome, although the FS laser procedure is considered safer and more accurate. This review assesses and compares the use of FS laser versus mechanical microkeratome ablation for corneal stromal characteristics mainly examined by histology and cellular biological responses.

Effects of the loss of conjunctival Muc16 on corneal epithelium and stroma in mice.

Purpose: To examine the role of conjunctival Muc16 in the homeostasis of the ocular surface epithelium and stroma using Muc16-null knockout (KO) mice.

Methods: We used KO mice (n = 58) and C57/BL6 (WT) mice (n = 58). Histology and immunohistochemistry were employed to analyze the phenotypes in the ocular surface epithelium.

Impairment of corneal epithelial wound healing in a TRPV1-deficient mouse.

Purpose: To examine whether the absence or blockage of an ion channel receptor, transient receptor potential vanilloid subtype 1 (TRPV1), affects the healing of an epithelial injury using an experimental model of an epithelial defect in animal cornea.

Methods: The expression of TRPV1 in the corneal epithelium was examined using immunohistochemistry in mice and rats. The migration of the corneal epithelium was examined in epithelium-debrided rat cornea in organ culture in the presence or absence of a TRPV1 agonist or its antagonist.

Lumican binds ALK5 to promote epithelium wound healing.

Lumican (Lum), a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family member, has multiple matricellular functions both as an extracellular matrix component and as a matrikine regulating cell proliferation, gene expression and wound healing. To date, no cell surface receptor has been identified to mediate the matrikine functions of Lum. This study aimed to identify a perspective receptor that mediates Lum effects on promoting wound healing.

The role of extracellular matrix in corneal wound healing.

During wound healing, cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, and enhanced biosynthetic activities are observed at the sites of injury. Interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) components and specific cell surface receptors, such as integrins, initiate cascades of signal transduction leading to various cellular responses. This review will focus on the biological functions of several ECM components, such as osteopontin (OPN), tenascin (TCN), and lumican (Lum).