Table 3.
Summary of Extracellular-Matrix-Related Proteins and Integrin Subunits Detected by Immunofluorescence
| Native healthy | Native FECD | Engineered healthy | Engineered FECD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extracellular matrix proteins | ||||
| Col IV | + | + to ++ | + to ++ | + to ++ |
| LM | + | (+) | + | + |
| FN | (+) | ++ | (+) | + to ++ |
| CLU | − | + | − | − |
| TGFβIp | +a | +a | +a | +a |
| Integrin proteins | ||||
| Int α4 | + | + | + | + |
| Int α6 | (+) to + | (+) | (+) | (+) |
| Int αv | (+) to + | (+) | + | + |
| Int β1 | (+) | (+) | + | + |
Intensity grading: ++ strong positive staining; + positive staining; (+) weak positive staining; − absence of staining.
a
note that the staining was only present on the stromal side of Descemet's membrane (thus was not recently deposited by endothelial cells).
Col IV, type IV collagen; LM, laminin; FECD, Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy; FN, fibronectin; CLU, clusterin; TGFβIp, transforming growth factor β-induced protein; Int, integrin.