Corneal epithelial biology: Lessons stemming from old to new

Robert M. Lavker*, Nihal Kaplan, Junyi Wang, Han Peng

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

The anterior surface of the eye functions as a barrier to the external environment and protects the delicate underlying tissues from injury. Central to this protection are the corneal, limbal and conjunctival epithelia. The corneal epithelium is a self-renewing stratified squamous epithelium that protects the underlying delicate structures of the eye, supports a tear film and maintains transparency so that light can be transmitted to the interior of the eye (Basu et al., 2014; Cotsarelis et al., 1989; Funderburgh et al., 2016; Lehrer et al., 1998; Pajoohesh-Ganji and Stepp, 2005; Parfitt et al., 2015; Peng et al., 2012b; Stepp and Zieske, 2005). In this review, dedicated to James Funderburgh and his contributions to visual science, in particular the limbal niche, corneal stroma and corneal stromal stem cells, we will focus on recent data on the identification of novel regulators in corneal epithelial cell biology, their roles in stem cell homeostasis, wound healing, limbal/corneal boundary maintenance and the utility of single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) in vision biology studies.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number108094
JournalExperimental eye research
Volume198
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2020

Keywords

  • Autophagy
  • EphA2
  • Ephrin-A1
  • Limbal epithelial stem cells
  • Limbal/corneal epithelial boundary
  • Single cell RNAseq
  • microRNAs

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sensory Systems
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
  • Ophthalmology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Corneal epithelial biology: Lessons stemming from old to new'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this