Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas
Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive degenerative inflammatory-related disease of the human cornea leading to decreased visual function. The pathogenesis of KC remains to be understood. Recent genetic studies indicate that gene variants of an inflammation-related molecule, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ophthalmology |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/852986 |
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| author | Jingjing You Li Wen Athena Roufas Chris Hodge Gerard Sutton Michele C. Madigan |
| author_facet | Jingjing You Li Wen Athena Roufas Chris Hodge Gerard Sutton Michele C. Madigan |
| author_sort | Jingjing You |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive degenerative inflammatory-related disease of the human cornea leading to decreased visual function. The pathogenesis of KC remains to be understood. Recent genetic studies indicate that gene variants of an inflammation-related molecule, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), are associated with an increased susceptibility for developing KC. However HGF protein expression in KC has not been explored. In this initial study, we investigated late-stage KC and control corneas for the expression of HGF and its receptor mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met/Met). KC buttons (~8 mm diameter) (n=10) and whole control corneas (n=6) were fixed in 10% formalin or 2% paraformaldehyde, paraffin embedded and sectioned. Sections were immunolabelled with HGF and c-Met antibodies, visualised using immunofluorescence, and examined with scanning laser confocal microscopy. Semiquantitative grading was used to compare HGF and c-Met immunostaining in KC and control corneas. Overall, KC corneas showed increased HGF and c-Met immunostaining compared to controls. KC corneal epithelium displayed heterogeneous moderate-to-strong immunoreactivity for HGF and c-Met, particularly in the basal epithelium adjacent to the cone area. Taken together with the recent genetic studies, our results further support a possible role for HGF/c-Met in the pathogenesis of KC. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-35d8d2de7e4347348c3c4d3f75d322a3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-004X 2090-0058 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ophthalmology |
| spelling | doaj-art-35d8d2de7e4347348c3c4d3f75d322a32025-02-03T05:57:40ZengWileyJournal of Ophthalmology2090-004X2090-00582015-01-01201510.1155/2015/852986852986Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus CorneasJingjing You0Li Wen1Athena Roufas2Chris Hodge3Gerard Sutton4Michele C. Madigan5Save Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaSave Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaSave Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaSave Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaSave Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaSave Sight Institute, Discipline of Clinical Ophthalmology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2000, AustraliaKeratoconus (KC) is a progressive degenerative inflammatory-related disease of the human cornea leading to decreased visual function. The pathogenesis of KC remains to be understood. Recent genetic studies indicate that gene variants of an inflammation-related molecule, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), are associated with an increased susceptibility for developing KC. However HGF protein expression in KC has not been explored. In this initial study, we investigated late-stage KC and control corneas for the expression of HGF and its receptor mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (c-Met/Met). KC buttons (~8 mm diameter) (n=10) and whole control corneas (n=6) were fixed in 10% formalin or 2% paraformaldehyde, paraffin embedded and sectioned. Sections were immunolabelled with HGF and c-Met antibodies, visualised using immunofluorescence, and examined with scanning laser confocal microscopy. Semiquantitative grading was used to compare HGF and c-Met immunostaining in KC and control corneas. Overall, KC corneas showed increased HGF and c-Met immunostaining compared to controls. KC corneal epithelium displayed heterogeneous moderate-to-strong immunoreactivity for HGF and c-Met, particularly in the basal epithelium adjacent to the cone area. Taken together with the recent genetic studies, our results further support a possible role for HGF/c-Met in the pathogenesis of KC.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/852986 |
| spellingShingle | Jingjing You Li Wen Athena Roufas Chris Hodge Gerard Sutton Michele C. Madigan Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas Journal of Ophthalmology |
| title | Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas |
| title_full | Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas |
| title_fullStr | Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas |
| title_short | Expression of HGF and c-Met Proteins in Human Keratoconus Corneas |
| title_sort | expression of hgf and c met proteins in human keratoconus corneas |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/852986 |
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