Expression of occludin and epithelial barrier function in the corneal epithelium

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To maintain corneal transparency, tight junction is very important. Recently, occluding, tight junction protein, was found and is thought to play a role for tight junction formation. In this study, we disclosed expression of occludin in the corneal epithelium. Occludin was expressed continuously around the border of the cells in the most apical corneal epithelial cells. In the sub-apical cell layer, occludin was observed as a dotted line pattern along the cell borders. At the basal and wing cell level, occludin was not observed. In the immunoblot analysis, occludin antibody reacted with a band at approximately 65 kD.Epithelial barrier function was evaluated anterior fluorophotometer. This device clearly showed epithelial barrier function was maintained in normal corneal epithelium. In case of gelatinous drop-like dystrophy, epithelial barrier function is injured but not so highly injured, however, it is highly disturbed in case of bullous keratopathy. It is also injured in drug-induced keratopathy, even though epithelial erosion was not present. In case of gelatinous drop-like dystrophy, occludin was expressed continuously around the border of the cells, similar to normal. In contrast, in case of bullous keratopathy. occludin was expressed, but the expression was incontinuously around the border of the cells. Epithelial barieer function is maintained when occluding expression was present continuously around the border of the cells, however, epithelial barrier function is injured when occluding expression was incontinuously present around the border of the cells.These data suggest that there is a close relation between epithelial barrier function and expression of occluding in the corneal epithelium.