keratan-sulfate and Corneal-Injuries

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is invasive or cytotoxic to host cells, depending on the type III secretion system (T3SS) effectors encoded. While the T3SS is known to be involved in disease in vivo, how it participates remains to be clarified. Here, mouse models of superficial epithelial injury (tissue paper blotting with EGTA treatment) and immunocompromise (MyD88 deficiency) were used to study the contribution of the T3SS transcriptional activator ExsA to epithelial traversal. Corneas of excised eyeballs were inoculated with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing PAO1 or isogenic exsA mutants for 6 h ex vivo before bacterial traversal and epithelial thickness were quantified by using imaging. In the blotting-EGTA model, exsA mutants were defective in capacity for traversal. Accordingly, an ∼16-fold variability in exsA expression among PAO1 isolates from three sources correlated with epithelial loss. In contrast, MyD88-/- epithelia remained susceptible to P. aeruginosa traversal despite exsA mutation. Epithelial lysates from MyD88-/- mice had reduced antimicrobial activity compared to those from wild-type mice with and without prior antigen challenge, particularly 30- to 100-kDa fractions, for which mass spectrometry revealed multiple differences, including (i) lower baseline levels of histones, tubulin, and lumican and (ii) reduced glutathione S-transferase, annexin, and dermatopontin, after antigen challenge. Thus, the importance of ExsA in epithelial traversal by invasive P. aeruginosa depends on the compromise enabling susceptibility, suggesting that strategies for preventing infection will need to extend beyond targeting the T3SS. The data also highlight the importance of mimicking conditions allowing susceptibility in animal models and the need to monitor variability among bacterial isolates from different sources, even for the same strain.

Topics: Animals; Annexins; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Secretion Systems; Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; Corneal Injuries; Epithelium, Corneal; Extracellular Matrix Proteins; Eye Infections, Bacterial; Glutathione Transferase; Green Fluorescent Proteins; Histones; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Keratan Sulfate; Lumican; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas Infections; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Trans-Activators; Tubulin

An important aspect of wound healing is the recruitment of neutrophils to the site of infection or tissue injury. Lumican, an extracellular matrix component belonging to the small leucine rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family, is one of the major keratan sulfate proteoglycans (KSPGs) within the corneal stroma. Increasing evidence indicates that lumican can serve as a regulatory molecule for several cellular processes, including cell proliferation and migration. In the present study, we addressed the role of lumican in the process of extravasation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) during the early inflammatory phase present in the healing of the corneal epithelium following debridement. We used Lum(-/-) mice and a novel transgenic mouse, Lum(-/-),Kera-Lum, which expresses lumican only in the corneal stroma, to assess the role of lumican in PMN extravasation into injured corneas. Our results showed that PMNs did not readily invade injured corneas of Lum(-/-) mice and this defect was rescued by the expression of lumican in the corneas of Lum(-/-),Kera-Lum mice. The presence of lumican in situ facilitates PMN infiltration into the peritoneal cavity in casein-induced inflammation. Our findings are consistent with the notion that in addition to regulating the collagen fibril architecture, lumican acts to aid neutrophil recruitment and invasion following corneal damage and inflammation.

Topics: Animals; Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; Cornea; Corneal Diseases; Corneal Injuries; Epithelium, Corneal; Eye Injuries; Flow Cytometry; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Keratan Sulfate; Lumican; Mice; Neutrophils; Peritoneal Lavage; Wound Healing

Keratocytes synthesize keratan-sulfate proteoglycans (KSPG), lumican and keratocan, to develop and maintain proper collagen interfibrillar spacing and fibril diameter characteristics of the transparent cornea. The purposes of this study are to compare the expression patterns of KSPGs and keratin 12 (K12) respectively by corneal keratocytes and epithelial cells after three different types of injuries; partial and total epithelial debridement and alkali burn.. Corneas of 8-12 week old C57Bl/6J or FVBN mice were wounded by partial epithelial (2 mm in diameter) and total epithelial debridement, and alkali burn (0.1 M NaOH, 30 s) and were allowed to heal for various periods of time, from 1 to 84 days. The corneas were then subjected to light microscopy, in situ and Northern hybridization and RT-PCR for examining the expression of K12 and KSPG in the corneal epithelium and stroma, respectively. Immunohistochemistry with anti-alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) was used to identify myofibroblasts in the stroma of injured cornea.. In 2-3 days, partial epithelial denuded corneas were resurfaced by corneal epithelium positive for K12, and stromal edema caused by debridement disappeared. Total epithelial debridement wounded corneas were resurfaced by conjunctival epithelial cells in 2 weeks. Stromal edema in the total epithelial debridement corneas began to subside after 6 weeks. Corneal epithelial cells resurfaced alkali burned corneas within 3-5 days. In situ and Northern hybridization showed a decrease in keratocan and lumican expression at 6 weeks and increased at 12 weeks post-injury in all wound types. Alpha-SMA positive myofibroblasts in the cornea were detected via immunostaining at the time point when KSPG expression was lowest, 6 weeks post-injury.. The results suggest keratocan and lumican are down-regulated during wound healing at 6 weeks and returned to higher levels at 12 weeks post-injury; implicating that the cells repopulating the injured corneal stroma regained the characteristic function of keratocytes independent of the wound types. However, complete epithelial removal results in irreversible loss of K12 expression.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Northern; Burns, Chemical; Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Corneal Stroma; Down-Regulation; Epithelium, Corneal; Eye Burns; Eye Injuries; Eye Proteins; Fibroblasts; Immunoenzyme Techniques; In Situ Hybridization; Keratan Sulfate; Keratin-12; Keratins; Lumican; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Proteoglycans; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; Sodium Hydroxide; Wound Healing

Corneal transparency is attributed to the regular spacing and diameter of collagen fibrils, and proteoglycans may play a role in fibrillogenesis and matrix assembly. Corneal scar tissue is opaque and this opacity is explained by decreased ultrastructural order that may be related to proteoglycan composition. Thus, the objectives of the present study were to characterize the proteoglycans synthesized by human corneal explants and to investigate the effect of mechanical epithelial debridement. Human corneas unsuitable for transplants were immersed in F-12 culture medium and maintained under tissue culture conditions. The proteoglycans synthesized in 24 h were labeled metabolically by the addition of (35)S-sulfate to the medium. These compounds were extracted by 4 M GuHCl and identified by a combination of agarose gel electrophoresis, enzymatic degradation with protease and mucopolysaccharidases, and immunoblotting. Decorin was identified as the main dermatan sulfate proteoglycan and keratan sulfate proteoglycans were also prominent components. When the glycosaminoglycan side chains were analyzed, only keratan sulfate and dermatan sulfate were detected (approximately 50% each). Nevertheless, when these compounds were (35)S-labeled metabolically, the label in dermatan sulfate was greater than in keratan sulfate, suggesting a lower synthesis rate for keratan sulfate. (35)S-Heparan sulfate also appeared. The removal of the epithelial layer caused a decrease in heparan sulfate labeling and induced the synthesis of dermatan sulfate by the stroma. The increased deposit of dermatan sulfate proteoglycans in the stroma suggests a functional relationship between epithelium and stroma that could be related to the corneal opacity that may appear after epithelial cell debridement.

Topics: Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Corneal Stroma; Debridement; Dermatan Sulfate; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; Extracellular Matrix; Glycosaminoglycans; Heparitin Sulfate; Humans; Keratan Sulfate; Proteoglycans; Stromal Cells

Proteoglycan distribution during corneal stromal healing in growing corneas of young chicks were histologically and immunohistochemically analysed. Single linear incisions to produce partial-thickness wounds were made in the corneas of 5 day old chicks. The corneas were harvested at different times after wounding and processed for either histochemical analyses using periodic acid-Schiff's reaction (PAS) or for indirect immunofluorescence analyses of lumican, keratocan, keratan sulfate, perlecan and laminin. Linear corneal stromal incisions were completely covered by migrated stratified epithelium by day 2 post wounding and resulted in a gaping wound with a thinner stroma. New stromal scar tissue formed between the epithelium and the original stroma that resulted in partial restoration of stromal thickness. During the first two to three weeks of healing, the stromal tissue filling the depression formed from the gaping wound, was hypercellular and PAS positive, indicating significantly higher levels of glycoprotein content but no new Bowman's membrane was formed. By four weeks, the scar tissue occupied a 2-3 mm wide region. Immunofluorescence analyses indicated that other major differences in the healing and normally growing stroma were the increased synthesis and deposition of perlecan and laminin. No differences were evident in the immunofluorescence for keratocan or keratan sulfate in the scar tissue, but the scar tissue did contain markedly decreased levels of lumican. Thus, the regulation of proteoglycan and glycoprotein synthesis is altered in the keratocytes that are recruited to the wounded regions in the growing corneal stroma of post-hatched young chicks. While synthesis and deposition of adhesive molecules including laminin and perlecan are elevated, the synthesis of one of the keratan sulfate proteoglycans, lumican, is reduced in the scar tissue as compared to the normally growing stroma.

Topics: Animals; Chickens; Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Eye Proteins; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycans; Heparitin Sulfate; Keratan Sulfate; Laminin; Lumican; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction; Proteoglycans; Wound Healing

Rabbit corneal proteoglycans were labeled by intrastromal injection of 3H-glucosamine and 35S-sulfate 1 and 2 weeks after partial-thickness radial scalpel incisions. Proteoglycans were extracted with guanidine-HCl and purified by ion exchange chromatography. Wounding caused a marked decrease in the total incorporation of labeled precursors into proteoglycans. The labeled proteoglycans were more readily extracted with guanidine-HCl after wounding. Labeled proteoglycans from wounded corneas had a larger molecular size on gel filtration chromatography than did proteoglycans from control corneas, a result of an increased amount of keratan sulfate in the large molecular size fractions. Analysis of labeled glycosaminoglycan (GAG) from guanidine-extracted proteoglycans and from the corneal tissue after guanidine-HCl extraction showed an increase in the relative amount of heparan sulfate and keratan sulfate after wounding, and a decrease in relative amount of dermatan sulfate. The 35S:3H ratio of heparan and dermatan sulfates increased after wounding, and that of keratan sulfate decreased, suggesting changes in sulfation. Degradation of labeled dermatan sulfate with hyaluronidase and with periodate revealed a 2-fold increase in iduronic acid content and 2-4-fold increase in hyaluronidase-resistant dermatan sulfate in the wounded corneas. Reduction in proteoglycan content, reduced sulfation of keratan sulfate, and accumulation of a high-sulfate, high-iduronic acid dermatan sulfate are previously reported properties of proteoglycan in scar tissue from perforating corneal wounds. Demonstration of these properties in proteoglycan after wounds similar to radial keratotomy incisions suggests that deposition of scar tissue can result from wounds which do not damage Descemet's membrane.

Topics: Animals; Chemical Phenomena; Chemistry; Chromatography, Gel; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Chromatography, Thin Layer; Cornea; Corneal Injuries; Dermatan Sulfate; Heparitin Sulfate; Iduronic Acid; Keratan Sulfate; Proteoglycans; Rabbits; Wounds, Nonpenetrating