title: Characteristic morphology and distribution of bone marrow derived cells in the cornea.
abstract: Enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP)-labeled bone marrow (BM) cells were transplanted into syngeneic C57BL/6 (wild-type) mice to investigate the distribution pattern, immunohistochemical characteristics, three-dimensional structure, and ultrastructure of the BM-derived cells in the mouse cornea using a fluorescence microscope, a confocal laser scanning microscope, and a transmission electron microscope. This study provided direct evidence that two morphologically distinct types of BM-derived cells were distributed in the mouse cornea. The majority of the GFP+ cells showed a flattened polygonal form with obtuse angles and these cells were distributed in the corneal stroma. The other type was the GFP+ cells demonstrating slim cell bodies with long and extremely thin dendrites and which were distributed in the corneal epithelium. The immunohistochemical characteristics and ultrastructure of BM-derived cells suggest that most of these cells have a macrophage lineage, whereas some cells in the corneal stroma do not. Interestingly, the direct intimate contact between GFP-labeled BM derived cells and non-GFP-labeled resident cells within the corneal stroma were also clearly visualized at the fine structural level. These data provide new and more detailed insight into the nature of BM-derived cells in the cornea.
authors.affiliation: Division of Microscopic and Developmental Anatomy, Department of Anatomy, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. tetsuyataka@med.kurume-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tetsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: Teruyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishibashi
authors.forename: Takaaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanemaru
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimazu
authors.forename: Fumihiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
authors.forename: Kei-Ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology*; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000502:physiology; D003315:Cornea / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins