Immunological comparison of normal, regenerating, and cultured corneal cells.

Two types of corneal cell membrane receptors are described, one occurs on the surface of only regenerating or cultured cells, that is, actively metabolizing and/or proliferating ones. The other type of corneal membrane receptors occurs on the cell surface independent of the metabolic state, e.g. on excised resting cells. In contrast to the restricted ontogenic specificity of the metabolically dependent corneal cell membrane antigens, the metabolically independent cell surface antigens were found to be universally distributed across ontogenic or species barriers. Such metabolically independent corneal cell surface antigens include Forssman or blood group antigens. The immuno-cytotoxic reaction of corneal cells involving the metabolically independent cell surface antigens was enhanced by complement, whereas a similar immunocytotoxic reaction involving the metabolically dependent antigens was not.