Nectin-3 expression is elevated in limbal epithelial side population cells with strongly expressed stem cell markers

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Stem Cell Biology
• Cell Adhesion Molecules

Background:

• Corneal epithelial stem cells (CESCs) are vital for ocular surface health.
• Identifying CESCs is challenging due to a lack of specific surface markers.
• Previous work identified rabbit limbal epithelial side population (rLE-SP) cells with stem cell characteristics, including CD61 expression.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate nectin-3 as a potential surface marker for CESCs.
• To determine the co-expression of nectin-3 and CD61 in CESCs.
• To explore the role of nectin-3 in identifying stem cell populations.

Main Methods:

• Flow cytometry analysis of rabbit limbal epithelial side population (rLE-SP) cells.
• Immunohistochemical staining for nectin-3 and CD61.
• Analysis of nectin-3 and CD61 expression in mouse bone marrow side population cells.

Main Results:

• Nectin-3 was highly expressed in rLE-SP cells.
• Nectin-3 expression was significantly enriched in CD61-positive rLE-SP cells.
• A correlation between nectin-3 and CD61 expression was observed in mouse bone marrow side population cells.

Conclusions:

• Nectin-3 is a potential novel marker for identifying corneal epithelial stem cells (CESCs).
• Co-expression of nectin-3 and CD61 may enhance CESC identification.
• Nectin-3's role in cell adhesion could be linked to stem cell maintenance.