PubMed ID: 7505054
Author(s): Peters DP, Harrison DA, Brandt CR. Heterogeneity of type I collagen expression in human corneal keratoconus fibroblasts. Ophthalmic Res. 1993;25(5):273-9. PMID 7505054
Journal: Ophthalmic Research, Volume 25, Issue 5, 1993
Corneal fibroblast cultures were established from 3 normal and 4 keratoconus (KC) corneas. Type I collagen protein synthesis and steady-state RNAs were analyzed in these cultures by metabolic labeling studies, slot blots and immunofluorescent microscopy. Type I collagen proteins and steady-state RNAs were reduced in cells from 3 of the 4 KC cultures when compared with normal fibroblasts, suggesting that collagen expression is heterogenous in KC and that the heterogeneity is expressed at the cellular and molecular level. The type I collagen matrix synthesized by the KC fibroblasts appeared normal when analyzed by immunofluorescence, suggesting that the incorporation of type I collagen into the extracellular matrix is not affected in KC fibroblasts.