Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology, Gartnavel General Hospital, Glasgow, UK.
Br J Ophthalmol. 2010 Jun;94(6):790-4. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2009.168377. Epub 2009 Nov 30.
BACKGROUND/AIMS: The cornea is a highly cellular structure that exists in a dynamic state of cell loss, renewal and replacement. The limbus contains corneal epithelial stem cells. The progenitor or stem cell of the keratocyte remains poorly defined. The authors sought to investigate the in vivo movement of corneal stromal and epithelial cells using a chromosome in situ hybridisation (CISH) technique on human tissue.
Four explanted sex-mismatched human corneal buttons were studied using the CISH technique to identify corneal epithelial and keratocyte cells containing the Y chromosome. Keratocyte identity and lack of infiltrating inflammatory cells were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. The sex mismatch of donor (XX) and host (XY) suggested any identified Y chromosomes cells were of host origin having migrated into the donor tissue.
Host corneal epithelial cells were identified in all four buttons, and corneal stromal keratocytes were present in three of the four specimens in the central corneal area.
Defining the corneal cell movements and the location of the progenitor or stem cells has important clinical implications. This study has successfully used the CISH technique to demonstrate the in vivo centripetal movement of corneal stromal keratocytes and epithelial cells. The CISH technique may allow further investigation of the corneal stromal dynamics using archival tissue.
背景/目的：角膜是一种高度细胞化的结构，处于细胞丢失、更新和替代的动态状态。角膜缘包含角膜上皮干细胞。角膜基质细胞的祖细胞或干细胞仍未明确定义。作者试图通过在人体组织上使用染色体原位杂交（CISH）技术来研究角膜基质和上皮细胞的体内运动。
使用 CISH 技术研究了四个离体的性别错配的人角膜纽扣，以鉴定含有 Y 染色体的角膜上皮和角膜基质细胞。通过免疫组织化学方法证实了角膜基质细胞的身份和无浸润性炎症细胞的存在。供体（XX）和宿主（XY）的性别错配表明，任何鉴定的 Y 染色体细胞均来自宿主，已迁移到供体组织中。
在所有四个纽扣中均鉴定出宿主角膜上皮细胞，在四个标本中的三个标本的中央角膜区域存在角膜基质角膜基质细胞。
定义角膜细胞的运动和祖细胞或干细胞的位置具有重要的临床意义。本研究成功地使用 CISH 技术证明了角膜基质细胞和上皮细胞的体内向心性运动。CISH 技术可能允许使用存档组织进一步研究角膜基质动力学。
