Summary
Type IV collagen is the basic structural component of all basement membranes (BM), and forms the backbone to which other BM components attach. We have found that in the centre of the adult human cornea the epithelium does not display a type IV collagen immunoreactive BM. In fetal corneas (14 and 22 weeks of gestation), however, the epithelial BM shows uninterrupted type IV collagen immunoreactivity. In similar experiments laminin immunoreactivity was observed in the entire corneal epithelial BM, in fetal as well as adult corneas. Ultrastructurally, a normal BM with a lamina lucida and a lamina densa can be observed in the conjunctiva. The adult corneal centre, however, shows epithelium without a lamina densa. Focal deposits of electron-dense material are observed in conjunction with hemidesmosomes and anchoring fibres.
These observations indicate that in the development of the eye, the cornea is initially covered with an epithelium which attaches to a normal BM. Later on, however, the BM type IV collagen disappears from the corneal centre. Assuming that highly differentiated epithelium cannot produce a BM, this could be due to the high level of differentiation of central corneal epithelium, which is generated in the limbal proliferation zone. Alternatively, the acellular Bowman's layer might lack triggers to induce type IV collagen production by the epithelial cells.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bosman, F. T., Havenith, M., &Cleutjens, J. P. M. (1985) Basement membranes in cancer.Ultrastruct. Pathol. 8, 291–304.
Breathnach, S., Fox, P., Neisis, G., Stanley, J. &Katz, S. (1983) A unique squamous epithelial basement membrane antigen defined by a monoclonal antibody (KF-1).J. Invest. Derm. 80, 392–5.
Bronckers, A. I. J. J., Gay, S., Lyaruu, D. M., Gay, R. &Miller, E. J. (1986) Localization of type V collagen with monoclonal antibodies in developing dental and peridental tissues of the rat and the hamster.Collagen Rel. Res. 6, 1–13.
Carlin, B., Jaffe, R., Bender, B. &Chung, A. E. (1981) Entactin, a novel basal lamina-associated sulfated glycoprotein.J. Biol. Chem. 256, 5209–14.
Caughman, S., Krieg, T., Timpl, R., Hintner, H., &Katz, S. (1985) Nidogen and heparen sulphate proteoglycan: detection of newly isolated basement membrane components in normal and epidermolysis bullosa (EB) skin.J. Invest. Dermatol. 89, 547–50.
Courtoy, P. J., Timpl, R. &Farquhar, M. G. (1982) Comparative distribution of lamin, type IV collagen, and fibronectin in the rat glomerulus.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 30, 874–86.
Ebato, B., Friend, J. &Thoft, R. A. (1987) Comparison of central and peripheral human corneal epithelium in tissue culture.Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 28, 1450–6.
Farquhar, M. G. (1981) The glomerular basement membrane. A selective macromolecular filter. In:Cell Biology of Extracellular Matrix (Ed.Hay, E. D.), pp. 335–78, New York: Plenum Press.
Fine, J. D. (1985) Cicatricial pemphigoid, bullous pemphigoid, and epidermolysis bullosa aquisita antigens: differences in organ and species specificities and localization in chemically separated human skin of the three basement membrane antigens.Collagen Rel. Res. 5, 369–77.
Fine, J. D. &Gay, S. (1986) LDA-1: a ubiquitous noncollagenous lamina densa component of basement membrane detected by monoclonal antibody technique.J. Invest. Dermatol. 86, 286–9.
Fitch, J. M., Gibney, E., Sanderson, R. D., Mayne, R. &Linsenmayer, T. F. (1982) Domain and basement membrane specificity of a monoclonal antibody against chicken type IV collagen.J. Cell Biol. 95, 641–7.
Fitch, J. M. &Linsenmayer, T. F. (1983) Monoclonal antibody analysis of ocular basement membranes during development.Dev. Biol. 95, 137–53.
Fujikawa, L. S., Foster, C. S., Gipson, I. K. &Colvin, R. B. (1984) Basement membrane components in healing rabbit corneal epithelial wounds: immunofluorescence and ultrastructural studies.J. Cell Biol. 98, 128–38.
Gipson, I. K., Spurr-Michaud, S. J. &Tisdale, A. S. (1988) Hemidesmosomes and anchoring fibril collagen appear synchronously during development and wound healing.Dev. Biol. 126, 253–62.
Goldsmith, L. &Briggaman, R. (1983) Monoclonal antibodies to anchoring fibrils for the diagnosis of epidermolysis bullosa.J. Invest. Derm. 81, 464–6.
Guillaumin, E. A., Fujikawa, L. S., Vastine, D. W., Foster, C. S. &Colvin, R. B. (1982) Basement membrane components in normal human corneas from various age groups.Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 22 (suppl.), 72.
Havenith, M. G., Cleutjens, J. P. M., Beek, C., van der Linden, E., de Goey, A. F. P. M. &Bosman, F. T. (1987) Human specific anti-type IV collagen monoclonal antibodies, characterization and immunohistochemical application.Histochemistry 87, 123–8.
Hay, E. D., Linsenmayer, T. F., Trelstad, R. L. &von der Mark, K. (1979) Origin and distribution of collagen in the developing avian cornea. In:Current Topics in Eye Research (EdsZadunaisky, J. A. &Davson, H.). Volume 1, pp. 1–35. New York: Academic Press.
Horikoshi, S., Koide, H. &Shirai, T. (1988) Monoclonal antibodies against laminin A chain and B chain in the human and mouse kidneys.Lab. Invest. 58, 532–8.
Keene, D. R., Sakai, L. Y., Lunstrum, G. P., Morris, N. P. &Burgeson, R. E. (1987) Type VII collagen forms an extended network of anchoring fibrils.J. Cell Biol. 104, 611–21.
Kolega, J., Manabe, M. &Sun, T-T (1989) Basement membrane heterogeneity and variation in corneal epithelial differentiation.Differentiation 42, 54–63.
Laurie, G. W., Leblond, C. P., Inoue, S., Martin, G. R. &Chung, A. (1984) Fine structure of the glomerular basement membrane and immunolocalization of five basement membrane components to the lamina densa (basal lamina) and its extensions in both glomeruli and tubules of the rat kidney.Am. J. Anat. 169, 463–81.
Leigh, I. &Purkis, P. (1985) LH 7∶2 — a new monoclonal antibody to a lamina densa protein.J. Invest. Derm. 84, 448–9.
Linsenmayer, T. F., Fitch, J. M., Schmid, T., Zak, N. B., Gibney, E., Sanderson, R. D. &Mayne, R. (1983) Monoclonal antibodies against chick type V collagen: production, specificity, and their use for immunocytological localization in embryonic cornea and other organs.J. Cell Biol. 96, 124–32.
Martin, G. R. &Timpl, R. (1987) Laminin and other basement membrane components.Annu. Rev. Cell Biol. 3, 57–85.
Martinez-Hernandez, A. &Amenta, P. S. (1983) The basement membrane in Pathology.Lab. Invest. 48, 656–77.
Miller, E. J. &Gay, S. (1982) The multiple types and formes of collagen.Methods in Enzymology 82A, 3–32.
Miller, E. J. &Gay, S. (1987) The collagens: an overview and update.Methods in Enzymology 144, 3–41.
Nakayasu, K., Tanaka, M., Konomi, H. &Hayashi, T. (1986) Distribution of type I, II, III, IV and V collagen in normal and keratoconus corneas.Ophthalmic Res. 18, 1–10.
Newsome, D. A., Foidart, J.-M., Hassell, J. R., Krachmer, J. H., Rodrigues, M. M. &Katz, S. I. (1981) Detection of specific collagen types in normal and keratoconus corneas.Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 20, 738–50.
Odermatt, B. F., Lang, A. B., Rüttner, J. R., Winterhalter, K. H. &Trüeb, B. (1984) Monoclonal antibodies to human type IV collagen: useful reagents to demonstrate the heterotrimeric nature of the molecule.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81, 7343–7.
Peavy, D., Bogos, S., Gebhardt, B. &Beuerman, R. (1987) Immunohistochemical differentiation of Schwann and epithelial basal lamina in the rabbit cornea.Neuroscience letters 79, 40–6.
Rodrigues, M., Ben-Zvi, A., Krachmer, J., Schermer, A. &Sun, T.-T. (1987) Suprabasal expression of a 64-kilodalton keratin (no. 3) in developing human corneal epithelium.Differentiation 34, 60–7.
Sakai, L. Y., Keene, D. R., Morris, N. P. &Burgeson, R. E. (1986) Type VII collagen is a major structural component of anchoring fibrils.J. Cell Biol. 103, 1577–86.
Scheinman, J. I. &Tsai, C. (1984) Monoclonal antibody to type IV collagen with selective basement membrane localization.Lab. Invest. 50, 101–12.
Schermer, A., Galvin, S. &Sun, T.-T. (1986) Differentiation-related expression of a major 64k corneal keratinin vivo and in culture suggests limbal location of corneal epithelial stem cells.J. Cell Biol. 103, 49–62.
Spencer, W. H. (1985) Cornea. In:Ophthalmic Pathology. An Atlas and Textbook (Ed.Spencer, W. H.), Vol. 1, pp. 229–388, Philadelphia: Saunders Company.
Sundarraj, N. &Willson, J. (1982) Monoclonal antibody to human basement membrane collagen type IV.Immunology 47, 133–40.
Timpl, R., Rohde, M., Gehron-Robey, P., Rennard, S., Foidart, J.-M. &Martin, G. (1979) Laminin: a glycoprotein from basement membranes.J. Biol. Chem. 254, 9933–7.
Timpl, R., Dziadek, M., Fujiwara, S., Nowack, H. &Wick, G. (1983) Nidogen, a new, self-aggregating basement membrane protein.Eur. J. Biochem. 137, 455–65.
Wewer, U., Albrechtsen, R., Mathorpe, M., Varon, S., Engvall, E. &Ruoslahti, E. (1983) Human laminin isolated in a nearly intact, biologically active form from placenta by limited proteolysis.J. Biol. Chem. 258, 12654–60.
Yurchenco, P. D., Tsilibary, E. C., Charonis, A. S. &Furthmayr, H. (1986) Models for self-assembly of basement membrane.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 34, 93–102.
Yurchenco, P. D. &Schittny, J. C. (1990) molecular architecture of basement membranes.Faseb J. 4, 1577–90.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cleutjens, J.P.M., Havenith, M.G., Kasper, M. et al. Absence of type IV collagen in the centre of the corneal epithelial basement membrane. Histochem J 22, 688–694 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01047454
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01047454