Proliferation and differentiation of bovine corneal endothelial cells in culture.

Bovine corneal endothelial cells can be grown successfully in culture. Growth factors such as FGF and EGF are shown to have a significant role in supporting an active proliferation of bovine corneal endothelial cells in culture as well as an effect on the ability of these cultures, to adopt a morphological configuration and phenotypic expression upon reaching confluence similar to their in vivo counterparts. Cultured bovine corneal endothelial cells provide us with an excellent in vitro model to study differentiated functions of the corneal endothelium. Using these cultures, we describe in the present review the exploration of a new differentiation property of the corneal endothelium such as the role of corneal endothelial cells in the inhibition and removal of active thrombin, as well as the study of a basic problem in cell biology such as the mechanism of action of growth factors.