Figure 6.

FIH-1 and miR-31 are associated with diabetic corneas and a proposed model for FIH-1 and miR-31 in corneal epithelial homeostasis. A–D) Corneas from normal mice (A, C), DIO mice (B), and ob/ob mice (D) stained for FIH-1. E) miR-31 levels in normal and DIO mouse corneal epithelia assessed by qRT-PCR. F) Age-matched wild-type and ob/ob mouse corneal epithelia treated with or without amylase to digest glycogen. G, H) Glycogen density in ob/ob (G) and DIO (H) corneal epithelia was quantified using computer-assisted image analysis. I) FIH-1 is highly expressed in the limbal region, where it impairs glycogen stores and could contribute to lower limbal glycogen levels. miR-31 levels are high in corneal epithelium, where it negatively regulates FIH-1, thus preserving glycogen stores and protects the cornea from hypoxic stress.