The fibrinolysis inhibitor alpha2-antiplasmin in the human cornea.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether the cornea contains and expresses, at the gene level, the major plasmin inhibitor alpha2-antiplasmin.


METHODS
Corneal sections were immunostained for alpha2-antiplasmin. Extracts of human corneal stroma, epithelium, and endothelium were subjected to immunodot blot and Western blot analysis. Total RNA and alpha2-antiplasmin specific primers were used for RT-PCR. The cDNA was sequenced.


RESULTS
Alpha2-antiplasmin was observed in all three corneal layers by immunolocalization and Western blots. The major alpha2-antiplasmin form observed in most extracts was the 70-kDa form. Total alpha2-antiplasmin was present at 0.119 +/- 0.014 microg/epithelium (n = 10) and 1.45 +/- 0.47 microg/stroma (n = 10). Alpha2-antiplasmin mRNA was detected in epithelial and stromal extracts and cultured human corneal stromal cells. The sequences of the PCR products were identical to that for human alpha2-antiplasmin.


CONCLUSIONS
Alpha2-antiplasmin and its mRNA are present in the cornea and may serve to regulate corneal plasmin activity.
Ayala
Aidee
A
Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.
Warejecka
Debra J
DJ
Vaughan
Kimberly A
KA
Twining
Sally S
SS
Yue
Beatrice Y J T
BY
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003319:Corneal Stroma / Q000378:metabolism*; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000378:metabolism*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin