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TGF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3 immunoreactivity within the ciliary epithelium [corrected]
1Department of Pathology, State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Purpose:
To determine whether the ciliary epithelium exhibits immunoreactivity for antibodies to transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) 2 and TGF-beta 3. The hypothesis was that because the aqueous humor contains mainly biologically active TGF-beta 2, with little TGF-beta 1, the epithelium largely responsible for its composition would also contain this isoform of TGF-beta. The authors anticipated TGF-beta 3 immunoreactivity because TGF-beta 3 often co-localizes with TGF-beta 2.
Methods:
The authors followed a standard immunohistochemical protocol using the avidin-biotin complex and newly available rabbit antibodies to synthetic peptide sequences of TGF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of freshly obtained rabbit and human autopsy eyes were studied. Specificity was supported by specific peptide absorption of antisera before tissue incubation.
Results:
The pigmented and nonpigmented ciliary epithelia of rabbit and human eyes were stained by antibodies to both TGF-beta 2 and TGF beta-3, and the staining was inhibited by preabsorption of antibodies by peptides of TGF-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3.
Conclusions:
The authors conclude that the ciliary epithelium exhibits TGF-beta 2- and TGF-beta 3-like immunoreactivity that, based upon complementary work from other laboratories, is probably synthesized by this epithelium and is not simply absorbed by it from the aqueous humor.