Collagen type XII is undetectable in keratoconus Bowman's layer.
Br J Ophthalmol
; 108(3): 343-348, 2024 02 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36746614
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
Corneal biomechanical failure is the hallmark of keratoconus (KC); however, the cause of this failure remains elusive. Collagen type XII (COL12A1), which localises to Bowman's layer (BL), is thought to function in stress-bearing areas, such as BL. Given the putative protective role of COL12A1 in biomechanical stability, this study aims to characterise COL12A1 expression in all corneal layers involved in KC.METHODS:
TaqMan quantitative PCR was performed on 31 corneal epithelium samples of progressive KC and myopic control eyes. Tissue microarrays were constructed using full-thickness corneas from 61 KC cases during keratoplasty and 18 non-KC autopsy eyes and stained with an antibody specific to COL12A1. Additionally, COL12A1 was knocked out in vitro in immortalised HEK293 cells.RESULTS:
COL12A1 expression was reduced at transcript levels in KC epithelium compared with controls (ratio 0.58, p<0.03). Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that COL12A1 protein expression in BL was undetectable, with reduced expression in KC epithelium, basement membrane and stroma.CONCLUSIONS:
The apparent absence of COL12A1 in KC BL, together with the functional importance that COL12A1 is thought to have in stress bearing areas, suggests that COL12A1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of KC. Further studies are necessary to investigate the mechanisms that lead to COL12A1 dysregulation in KC.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Epithelium, Corneal
/
Keratoconus
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Br J Ophthalmol
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States