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1 From the Schepens Eye Research Institute and Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and the 2 Department of Ophthalmology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
| Abstract |
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METHODS. Corneas from donors 52 to 75 years of age were obtained from an eye bank and were usually cut in quarters to increase sample size. The effect of EDTA dose (0.022.0 mg/ml) and incubation time (6, 30, and 60 minutes) on endothelial cellcell contacts was evaluated by staining for ZO-1, a cell junction marker. Cell death was tested by a commercial livedead assay. Corneal pieces were incubated for 0, 24, 48, or 60 hours in culture medium (M-199, 10% fetal bovine serum, 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor, 20 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor) before EDTA treatment. After treatment, pieces were incubated in the same medium for 24, 48, 72, or 96 hours to permit cell cycle entry. Tissue was fixed, stained for Ki67 (a marker for late G1-phase through the M-phase), and mounted in medium containing propidium iodide to visualize all nuclei. Confocal images were evaluated by computer (Image software; NIH, Bethesda, MD) to count Ki67-positive and propidium iodidestained cells.
RESULTS. EDTA released corneal endothelial cellcell contacts in a dose- and time-dependent manner. At doses and incubation times tested, EDTA did not induce significant cell death. Preincubation in culture medium for 24 hours was needed for endothelial cells to efficiently initiate proliferation in response to EDTA. The endothelium of corneas incubated in mitogen-containing medium for up to 108 hours without EDTA treatment did not stain for Ki67. EDTA at 2.0 mg/ml for 60 minutes appeared optimal and stimulated 16% to 18% of the cells to proliferate. Ki67-positive mitotic figures were visible 48 hours after exposure to EDTA. Formation of daughter cells was visible after double-staining for Ki67 and ZO-1.
CONCLUSIONS. EDTA released cells from contact inhibition and promoted proliferation in corneal endothelium from older donors. The authors hypothesize that corneal endothelium from older individuals divide in situ when exposed to positive growth factors under conditions in which cells have been transiently released from contact inhibition.
| Introduction |
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In addition, studies of the developing cornea in neonatal rats suggest that a contact-inhibitionlike mechanism may actively suppress replication in the mature endothelial monolayer.10 Other evidence for cell-contactmediated regulation of proliferation is that corneal endothelial cells divide in response to wounding.11 12 In tissue culture and in organ cultured corneas, only endothelial cells adjacent to the wound edge or cells that have migrated into the wound bed proliferate, demonstrating the importance of releasing cellcell contacts to promote proliferation. Formation of cellcell contacts is mediated by a number of proteins that are associated with different types of junctional complexes, including cadherins (adhering junctions),13 ZO-1 (tight junctions), 14 and connexin-43 (gap junctions).15 These proteins all require calcium for maintenance of their adhesion function. In low-calcium environments, junctional complexes mediated by these proteins disassemble, and cellcell contact is broken. Exposure of the corneal endothelium to calcium-free medium causes disruption of apical junctional complexes, increased transendothelial perfusion, and corneal edema.16 17 18 These changes can be reversed by replacing calcium in the medium17 18 or by exposing cells to ionophores that release intracellular calcium stores.18
Previous studies from this laboratory19 have demonstrated that corneal endothelium from older donors (>50 years of age) is capable of proliferation in response to a mechanical wound. Cells from older donors responded in fewer numbers and entered the cell cycle more slowly than those from younger donors (<30 years of age) when corneas were cultured in medium containing 10% serum and 20 ng/ml fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Addition of 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF) to this medium induced significantly more older cells to proliferate and increased the rate of cell cycle entry. As in previous studies, only cells within the wound bed or at the wound edge proliferated. Together, these data indicate that endothelial cells from older donors can proliferate if cellcell contacts are broken by wounding and if given sufficient mitogenic stimulation. The present study was designed to determine whether it is possible to induce proliferation in the endothelium without mechanical wounding of the monolayer. Because EDTA, a known chelator of calcium and magnesium, has been used in many laboratories to release cultured cells from contact inhibition, it was tested for its ability to release endothelial cells from cellcell contact and promote proliferation in an organ culture model.
| Materials and Methods |
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Ex Vivo Corneal Model
Twenty-one human corneas were obtained from donors 52 to 75 years
of age (mean age, 65.1 years). Whole corneas were usually cut in
quarters to increase sample size. In some cases, whole corneas were
used as control samples. Corneal pieces were placed endothelial-side-up
in individual wells of a 24-well tissue culture plate (Falcon, Lincoln
Park, NJ). Pieces were incubated for 24 hours in medium-199 containing
10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 10 ng/ml epidermal growth factor (EGF;
Upstate Biotechnologies, Lake Placid, NY), 20 ng/ml fibroblast growth
factor (FGF; Biomedical Technologies, Stoughton, MA), and 50 mg/ml
gentamicin to stabilize the endothelium before study. EDTA (di-sodium
EDTA.2H20) was prepared in Hanks balanced salt
solution (HBSS; without calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, or
magnesium sulfate; Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY), adjusted to
pH7.4, and added to the culture medium at a final concentration of
0.02, 0.2, or 2.0 mg/ml. Corneas were treated with EDTA for 10, 30, or
60 minutes and then returned to culture medium for up to 96 hours. EDTA
treatment controls included exposing corneal pieces to all
manipulations and incubation conditions, including 1 hour in HBSS, but
without EDTA. All corneas were maintained at 37°C in a 5% carbon
dioxide, humidified atmosphere until removal for analysis of cell cycle
progression.
Immunolocalization of ZO-1 and Ki67
Immunostaining for ZO-1 detected corneal endothelial cell
boundaries, whereas Ki67 staining detected actively cycling cells.
Immunolocalization was performed using the same antibodies and
protocols as described previously for ZO-110
and
Ki67.19
Corneal pieces stained for Ki67 were mounted in
medium containing propidium iodide (PI; Vector Laboratories,
Burlingame, CA) to visualize all nuclei. In some cases, samples were
double-stained for both Ki67 and ZO-1. Slides were viewed using a
confocal microscope (model TCS 4D, equipped with a DMRBE laser; Leitz,
Wetzlar, Germany; and SCANware ver. 4.2 software; Leica Lasertechnik,
Heidelberg, Germany). Images were collected from the central region of
the corneal specimens, away from the cut edges, by using a x16, x40,
or x100 oil-immersion lens. Laser power and gain controls were
adjusted to achieve an optimal range of output signal intensity for
each channel. Confocal images were collected, and micrographs were
printed by computer (Photoshop ver. 4.0; Adobe, San Jose, CA). For some
micrographs, the printing contrast was adjusted to provide a clearer
image.
Evaluation and Quantification of Ki67-Positive Cells
Fluorescence confocal immunocytochemistry for Ki67 was used to
evaluate corneal endothelial cells for their ability to enter and
complete the cell cycle. All nuclei were stained with PI. Positive Ki67
staining patterns detected actively cycling cells and also acted as
markers for specific phases of the cell cycle. Completion of the cell
cycle was determined by observation of mitotic figures stained with
Ki67. Three representative confocal micrographs were taken per corneal
quarter with a x40 objective lens. A software program (Image ver.
1.62; NIH) was used to count total PI-stained nuclei, total
Ki67-positive cells, and cells in the G1, S/G2, and M phases of the
cell cycle. Cells were counted in five 100 µm2
areas of each micrograph (15 areas counted per corneal piece). Counts
were averaged, and the percentage of actively cycling cells and of
cells in each phase of the cell cycle was calculated. Each study was
conducted using corneas from two to three donors. Statistical
comparisons were made by computer, using a paired Students
t-test (StatView ver, 4.11; Abacus Concepts, Berkeley, CA).
Results reported in Table 1
are expressed as percentages of Ki67-positive cells ± SD.
Results reported in Figures 3B
and 3C
are expressed as percentages of
Ki67-positive cells ± SEM.
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| Results |
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Determination of Optimal Incubation Conditions
Studies were conducted to determine incubation conditions that
induce cell cycle entry in the largest number of endothelial cells, as
determined by counting Ki67-positive cells. The requirement for
preincubation of corneas in mitogen-containing medium was first
determined. For these studies, preincubation times of 0, 24, 48, and 60
hours were used. EDTA concentration and treatment times were held
constant, and corneal samples were postincubated in mitogen-containing
medium for 48 hours. Figure 3B
provides a representative example of the
results, which indicate that, of the preincubation times tested, 24
hours was sufficient to yield the maximal percentage of Ki67-positive
cells. This preincubation time was then used for all subsequent
studies. In studies to determine the optimal postincubation time,
corneal pieces were preincubated in medium for 24 hours, followed by
EDTA treatment. Postincubation times tested included 0, 24, 48, 72, and
96 hours. Figure 3C
provides a representative example, indicating that
a maximum number of Ki67-positive cells was obtained 48 hours after
incubation. Depending on the specific donor cornea, some Ki67-positive
cells could be detected 72 hours after EDTA treatment; however, no
samples showed actively cycling cells by 96 hours after incubation.
As indicated in Table 1 , EDTA at either 0.2 or 2.0 mg/ml was capable of promoting cell cycle progression. The relative percentage of Ki67-positive cells observed under the four EDTA incubation conditions was significantly higher than negative controls in which corneas were incubated in HBSS alone. Corneas treated with 2.0 mg/ml EDTA for 60 minutes yielded a significantly higher number of actively cycling cells (P = 0.007) than those treated with 0.2 mg/ml EDTA for 30 minutes. Repeated EDTA treatment cycles promoted proliferation over a longer period, but the treatment became gradually less effective (data not shown).
| Discussion |
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Treatment of the monolayer with EDTA presumably interfered sufficiently with maintenance of junctional complexes to release cells from contact inhibition, making them sensitive to mitogenic stimulation. The reason preincubation of the endothelium in mitogen-containing medium was required is not clear. Pretreatment with mitogens may initiate cellular responses that prepare for cell cycle entry once cellcell contacts have been released. Preincubation times shorter than the 24 hours used in this study may be even more effective, because receptor downregulation can occur with prolonged growth factor incubation. Future studies will test the effectiveness of preincubation times shorter than 24 hours and also identify any cell cyclerelated changes that occur during this preincubation period.
The possibility that preincubation with mitogens prepares cells to enter the cycle is supported by the fact that cells appeared to initiate proliferation as an almost synchronous population. This response differed from cell cycle entry in wounded endothelium exposed to the same culture medium.19 Under those conditions, cells continued to enter the cycle until the wound bed was completely repopulated.
An important finding from these studies was that, after treatment of the intact endothelial monolayer with EDTA and mitogens, approximately 17% of the cell population entered the cell cycle. It is expected that further refinement of the EDTA and/or mitogen treatment protocol will increase the relative percentage of proliferating cells. Because the relative percentage of Ki67-positive cells tended to differ with the specific treatment, it is possible that we may not have obtained optimal efficiency in stimulating proliferation. The ability to induce proliferation in endothelial cells does not appear to be restricted by the presence of a senescent population; we have not observed positive staining for ß-galactosidase, a marker of cell senescence,23 in the endothelium of older individuals (personal observation). Future studies will determine whether EDTA+mitogen treatment consistently increases cell density in donor corneas with low endothelial cell counts.
The induction of proliferation in these studies occurred without mechanical wounding and without apparent cell damage. This underscores the integral role of cellcell contact in maintaining the corneal endothelium in a nonreplicative state and indicates that temporary interference with this important antiproliferative mechanism could induce transient proliferation in this physiologically important monolayer. These findings suggest that it may be possible to induce proliferation and thereby increase the density of endothelial cells. This treatment could be applied directly to the endothelium to increase endothelial cell density in corneas to be used for transplantation. In addition, it may be possible to stimulate endothelial cell division in situ by using EDTA (or similar reagents that temporarily interfere with cellcell contact) plus mitogen to increase cell density in individuals at risk for vision loss due to low endothelial cell counts.
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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Submitted for publication January 24, 2000; revised May 4, 2000; accepted May 16, 2000.
Commercial relationships policy: N.
Corresponding author: Nancy C. Joyce, Schepens Eye Research Institute, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114. njoyce{at}vision.eri.harvard.edu
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