Low fucosylation defines the glycocalyx of progenitor cells and melanocytes in the human limbal stem cell niche.

ABSTRACT: It is widely recognized that the glycocalyx has significant implications in regulating the self-renewal and differentiation of adult stem cells; however, its composition remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the fucose-binding Aleuria aurantia lectin (AAL) binds differentially to basal cells in the stratified epithelium of the human limbus, hair follicle epithelium, and meibomian gland duct. Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting in combination with single-cell transcriptomics, we find that most epithelial progenitor cells and melanocytes in the limbus display low AAL staining (AAL^low) on their cell surface, an attribute that is gradually lost in epithelial cells as they differentiate into mature corneal cells. AAL^low epithelial cells were enriched in putat

SUBMITTER: Woodward AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11784483 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature