title: Neutrophil migration in the wounded cornea: the role of the keratocyte.
abstract: Neutrophil migration into the corneal stroma following epithelial injury is an early event in the non-adaptive immune response. Little is known regarding the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate neutrophil migration within the injured cornea. In this article, evidence is presented supporting the idea that migrating neutrophils form integrin-dependent adhesive contacts not only with extracellular matrix molecules, but also with interstitial cells known as keratocytes. Since keratocytes express adhesion molecules and secrete leukotactic factors, and because they are joined to one another to form a cellular network, we suggest that the keratocyte network plays a prominent role in neutrophil migration by serving as a source of contact guidance and chemoattraction for migrating neutrophils. The proposed neutrophil interactions with keratocytes constitute the beginning of a new experimental paradigm for understanding leukocyte migration within the injured cornea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, DeBakey Heart Center at Baylor College of Medicine and Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA. aburns@bcm.tmc.edu
authors.forename: Alan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: Zhijie
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: C Wayne
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Smith