Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 23, 2026
09:05
In Vitro and In Vivo Models to Study Corneal Endothelial-mesenchymal Transition
Published on: August 20, 2016
8.4K
ZEB1 insufficiency causes corneal endothelial cell state transition and altered cellular processing
Ricardo F Frausto1, Doug D Chung1, Payton M Boere1
1The Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
Plos One
|June 14, 2019
Summary
The zinc finger e-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) gene is crucial for cell state changes. Its insufficiency causes posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy (PPCD) via an endothelial to epithelial transition (EnET).
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- The zinc finger e-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) transcription factor regulates epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET).
- ZEB1 is vital for cell lineage specification, wound healing, and disease processes.
- Posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy (PPCD) is linked to ZEB1 insufficiency, offering a novel context to study EMT/MET.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ZEB1 in PPCD.
- To determine if corneal endothelial cells (CEnCs) undergo a MET-like transition in PPCD.
- To establish an endothelial to epithelial transition (EnET) as a corollary to the EMT/MET paradigm.
Main Methods:
- Generated a cell-based model of PPCD using CRISPR-Cas9 to knock out ZEB1 in CEnCs.
- Performed transcriptomic analyses to compare ZEB1-deficient CEnCs with controls.
- Conducted functional studies to assess cellular phenotype changes.
Main Results:
- ZEB1 knockout in CEnCs induced a cadherin-switch and an epithelial-like transcriptomic and cellular phenotype.
- These changes are consistent with a MET-like process, termed endothelial to epithelial transition (EnET).
- The findings support the hypothesis that CEnCs undergo EnET in PPCD.
Conclusions:
- EnET in PPCD is a MET-like process driven by ZEB1 insufficiency.
- EnET serves as a corollary to the established EMT/MET paradigm.
- This study provides new insights into ZEB1-mediated cell state transitions in corneal endothelial cells.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:31Phase Transitions
22.8K
Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to...
22.8K
01:13Insufficient Sleep and Sleep Deprivation
858
Insufficient sleep refers to not getting the recommended amount of sleep for optimal functioning, even if it's just slightly less than needed. Sleep insufficiency may occur due to lifestyle choices, such as staying up late for social events or work, resulting in routinely getting less sleep than required. For example, consistently sleeping 6 hours when the body needs 7-9 hours can lead to cumulative effects on health and well-being.
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
Sleep deprivation is a more severe form of sleep loss...
858
02:58Properties of Transition Metals
29.7K
Transition metals are defined as those elements that have partially filled d orbitals. As shown in Figure 1, the d-block elements in groups 3–12 are transition elements. The f-block elements, also called inner transition metals (the lanthanides and actinides), also meet this criterion because the d orbital is partially occupied before the f orbitals.
29.7K
02:39Phase Transitions: Vaporization and Condensation
20.7K
The physical form of a substance changes on changing its temperature. For example, raising the temperature of a liquid causes the liquid to vaporize (convert into vapor). The process is called vaporization—a surface phenomenon. Vaporization occurs when the thermal motion of the molecules overcome the intermolecular forces, and the molecules (at the surface) escape into the gaseous state. When a liquid vaporizes in a closed container, gas molecules cannot escape. As these gas phase molecules...
20.7K
01:58Cooperative Allosteric Transitions
8.7K
Cooperative allosteric transitions can occur in multimeric proteins, where each subunit of the protein has its own ligand-binding site. When a ligand binds to any of these subunits, it triggers a conformational change that affects the binding sites in the other subunits; this can change the affinity of the other sites for their respective ligands. The ability of the protein to change the shape of its binding site is attributed to the presence of a mix of flexible and stable segments in the...
8.7K
02:39Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
14.8K
Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
14.8K