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Elucidating the Corneal Endothelial Cell Proliferation Capacity through an Interspecies Transcriptome Comparison
Pere Català1,2, Flora Vivensang1, Daan van Beek3
1Department of Cell Biology-Inspired Tissue Engineering, MERLN Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Maastricht, 6229ER, The Netherlands.
Advanced Biology
|April 16, 2023
Summary
Rabbit corneal endothelial cells (CECs) proliferate, unlike human and sheep CECs. Transcriptomic analysis reveals pathway differences, offering insights into regenerating the corneal endothelium for vision restoration.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Genomics
Background:
- Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) have limited regenerative capacity in larger mammals, leading to corneal opacity upon damage.
- Corneal transplantation is limited by donor tissue availability, necessitating alternative treatments.
- Rabbit CECs exhibit significant proliferative potential, unlike human and sheep CECs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transcriptomic differences between species with varying CEC regenerative capacities.
- To identify key molecular pathways and potential drivers of CEC proliferation.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptomic analysis of human, sheep, and rabbit CECs.
- Development of a pipeline to analyze pathway activity differences across species.
- Comparative analysis of pathway activity between proliferative and non-proliferative CECs.
Main Results:
- 52 pathways exhibited differential activity when comparing species with non-proliferative CECs (human, sheep) to those with proliferative CECs (rabbit).
- The Notch and TGF-β signaling pathways showed increased activity in non-proliferative CECs (human, sheep).
- These pathway differences may explain the distinct proliferative behaviors observed across species.
Conclusions:
- Transcriptomic pathway-level variations are identified between species with differing CEC regenerative capacities.
- Understanding these differences, particularly involving Notch and TGF-β pathways, can inform the development of novel corneal endothelium regeneration therapies.
