Immunolocalization of c-Fos and c-Jun in rat ocular surface epithelium

We immunohistochemically located c-Fos and c-Jun, the major components of transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP1), in normal epithelia of rat cornea and conjunctiva to determine the expression of these genes in the ocular surface epithelia. Immunoreactivity for c-Fos was detected in the nuclei of basal cells of the limbal and conjunctival epithelia, while that for c-Jun was detected in the cytoplasm of the cells of these epithelia. The corneal epithelium lacked immunoreactivity for either protein. AP1 may have an important role in the maintenance of homeostasis of limbal and conjunctival epithelia.