title: Variations in the characteristics of keratocytes in culture in relation to their location in human cornea.
abstract: To reconstruct artificial stroma close to corneal stroma, it is necessary to use keratocytes with high proliferative potential that maintain the keratocyte phenotype as characterised by CD34. To select such cells, we tested the proliferative potential and characterised the keratocytes isolated from 4 different areas of the human cornea: superior perilimbal, inferior perilimbal, superior central and inferior central. Keratocytes isolated from these different areas had significantly different growth rates (p<0.05), as measured by population doublings: superior perilimbal (42.59+/-11.78) > inferior perilimbal (38.23+/-12.67) > superior central (35.69+/-8.07) > inferior central (25.35+/-7.63). Their clonogenic potential evolved in the same order. Moreover, CD34 labelling gave higher levels in the central areas in relation to the perilimbal areas. We found the best location for isolating keratocytes for stromal reconstruction. The superior perilimbal area had the greatest capacity for proliferation, as well as the best clonogenic potential and the average CD34 level (70%) remained high.
authors.affiliation: Banque de Cornées des Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Builles
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bechetoille
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Justin
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Burillon
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Damour
mesh_terms: D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34