Human limbal epithelial progenitor cells express αvβ5-integrin and the interferon-inducible chemokine CXCL10/IP-10

Stem cell (SC) therapy is the main treatment modality for patients with limbal stem cell deficiency. If limbal epithelial stem cells (LESC) can be more readily identified, isolated and maintained ex vivo, patients could be treated with better quality grafts. With prior knowledge that vitronectin (VN) is present within the LESC niche and that it supports LESC in vitro, we postulated that VN receptors (integrins αvβ3/5) are expressed by, and can be used to identify and isolate LESC. Immunolocalization studies were conducted on human corneas. Corneas were also used to expand limbal epithelial cells from either biopsies or enzyme-dissociated tissue and αvβ3/5 expression determined by flow cytometry. Integrin expressing cells were isolated by magnetic activated cell sorting then assessed by immunocytology, colony forming efficiency, RT-PCR and microarray analysis. Integrin αvβ5(+) cells co-localized to N-cadherin(+)/CK-15(+) putative LESC. αvβ5 was restricted to less than 4% of the total limbal epithelial cells, which expressed higher levels of CK-15 and formed more colonies compared to αvβ5(-) cells. Transcriptional profiling of αvβ5(+/-) cells by microarray identified several highly expressed interferon-inducible genes, which localize to putative LESC. Integrin αvβ5 is a candidate LESC marker since its expression is restricted to the limbus and αvβ5(+) limbal epithelial cells have phenotypic and functional properties of LESC. Knowledge of the niche's molecular composition and the genes expressed by its SC will facilitate isolation and maintenance of these cells for therapeutic purposes.