title: Rat limbal epithelial side population cells exhibit a distinct expression of stem cell markers that are lacking in side population cells from the central cornea.
abstract: The side population (SP) phenotype is shared by stem cells in various tissues and species. Here we demonstrate SP cells with Hoechst dye efflux were surprisingly collected from the epithelia of both the rat limbus and central cornea, unlike in human and rabbit eyes. Our results show that rat limbal SP cells have a significantly higher expression of the stem cell markers ABCG2, nestin, and notch 1, compared to central corneal SP cells. Immunohistochemistry also revealed that ABCG2 and the epithelial stem/progenitor cell marker p63 were expressed only in basal limbal epithelial cells. These results demonstrate that ABCG2 expression is closely linked to the stem cell phenotype of SP cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan.
authors.forename: Terumasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umemoto
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamato
authors.forename: Kohji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: Chinatsu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tano
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okano
mesh_terms: D000070997:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008032:Limbic System / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D064231:Nestin; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D051881:Receptor, Notch1 / Q000032:analysis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*
chemical_list: D000070997:ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily G, Member 2; D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; C489249:Abcg2 protein, rat; D015415:Biomarkers; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; C577484:NES protein, human; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C577486:Nes protein, rat; D064231:Nestin; C497763:Notch1 protein, rat; D051881:Receptor, Notch1