title: Biomechanical relationships between the corneal endothelium and Descemet's membrane.
abstract: The posterior face of the cornea consists of the corneal endothelium, a monolayer of cuboidal cells that secrete and attach to Descemet's membrane, an exaggerated basement membrane. Dysfunction of the endothelium compromises the barrier and pump functions of this layer that maintain corneal deturgesence. A large number of corneal endothelial dystrophies feature irregularities in Descemet's membrane, suggesting that cells create and respond to the biophysical signals offered by their underlying matrix. This review provides an overview of the bidirectional relationship between Descemet's membrane and the corneal endothelium. Several experimental methods have characterized a richly topographic and compliant biophysical microenvironment presented by the posterior surface of Descemet's membrane, as well as the ultrastructure and composition of the membrane as it builds during a lifetime. We highlight the signaling pathways involved in the mechanotransduction of biophysical cues that influence cell behavior. We present the specific example of Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy as a condition in which a dysregulated Descemet's membrane may influence the progression of disease. Finally, we discuss some disease models and regenerative strategies that may facilitate improved treatments for corneal dystrophies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. Electronic address: marali@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: The Ocular Surface Institute, College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204, USA. Electronic address: vraghunathan@uh.edu.
authors.forename: VijayKrishna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raghunathan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA. Electronic address: jyhli@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, School of Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA. Electronic address: cjmurphy@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA. Electronic address: smthomasy@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Thomasy
mesh_terms: D019781:Corneal Topography; D003886:Descemet Membrane / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005642:Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular
keywords: Descemet's membrane; Endothelium; Extracellular matrix; Fuchs' corneal endothelial dystrophy; Mechanotransduction; Modulus; Topography