A Human Corneal Epithelial Cell Line Model for Limbal Stem Cell Biology and Limbal Immunobiology.

ABSTRACT: Limbal stem cell (LSC) deficiency is a visually debilitating condition caused by abnormal maintenance of LSCs. It is treated by transplantation of donor-derived limbal epithelial cells (LECs), the success of which depends on the presence and quality of LSCs within the transplant. Understanding the immunobiological responses of these cells within the transplants could improve cell engraftment and survival. However, human corneal rings used as a source of LSCs are not always readily available for research purposes. As an alternative, we hypothesized that a human telomerase-immortalized corneal epithelial cell (HTCEC) line could be used as a model for studying LSC immunobiology. HTCEC constitutively expressed human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I but not class II molecules. However, when stim

SUBMITTER: Shaharuddin B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5442771 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature