Quantitative analysis of immunogold labellings of collagen types I, III, IV and VI in healthy and pathological human corneas.
BACKGROUND
We studied the distribution of collagen types I, III, IV and VI in one healthy human cornea and in seven pathological human corneas, in which the disorders were three cases of pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (two severe, one moderate) and one case each of stage IV keratoconus, chronic ulcer, vascularized cornea and disciform keratitis.


METHODS
Transmission electron microscopy examinations were performed on post-embedding immunogold-labelled sections. The staining was evaluated by gold particle count in the different tissues. The presence or absence of a given antigen was determined by statistical analysis, using a d-value test.


RESULTS
Our results on healthy corneal tissues corroborate the data available from previous studies, except for collagen type VI, which we found to be absent in Bowman's layer. In pathological corneas with a collagenous layer posterior to Descemet's membrane, collagen types I, III and especially IV were detected in this collagenous layer. Collagen types I, III and VI were detected in the anterior healed stroma of other pathological corneas, except for the keratoconus cornea, in which intense collagen III staining was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of collagen types I and III in the posterior collagenous layer of our pseudophakic bullous keratopathy corneas suggests that this layer corresponds to scar tissue secreted by stimulated endothelial cells.
Delaigue
O
O
Laboratoire de Microscopie électronique, Faculté de Médecine de TOURS, France.
Arbeille
B
B
Rossazza
C
C
Lemesle
M
M
Roingeard
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003315:Cornea / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron
D003094:Collagen