The role of the basement membrane in differential expression of keratin proteins in epithelial cells

doi:10.1016/0012-1606(92)90239-D

Developmental Biology

Volume 150, Issue 2, April 1992, Pages 243-255

https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-1606(92)90239-D Get rights and content

Abstract

Extracellular matrix is considered to play an important role in determining the phenotype of cells with which it interacts. Here we have investigated the possibility that extracellular matrix is involved in specifying the pattern of keratin expression in epithelial cells. For these studies, we have developed an explant system in which epithelial cells from one type of stratified epithelial tissue, namely conjunctiva, are maintained on an extracellular matrix substrate derived from a different tissue, namely cornea. These ocular tissues are ideal for such analyses since they express distinct sets of keratins. For example, bovine conjunctival epithelium processed for immunofluorescence is not recognized by antibody preparations against keratin K3 or K12. In contrast, K3 and K12 antibodies generate intense staining in bovine corneal epithelium. At the immunochemical level, conjunctival cells in situ appear to possess no K12 and only trace amounts of K3, whereas corneal epithelial cells in situ possess both K3 and K12. When conjunctival cells are maintained on a corneal substrate with an intact basement membrane for 10 days in vitro they begin to express keratin K12 as determined by immunofluorescence. On the other hand, conjunctival cells that are maintained on a corneal substrate lacking a basement membrane fail to show staining with K12 antibodies. Conjunctival cells begin to show intense staining using K3 antibodies within about 10 days of being placed in culture regardless of their substrate. These results indicate that basement membrane can play a positive role in determining cell-specific expression of certain keratins such as K12. However, other keratins such as K3 may be “unmasked” and/or their expression may be upregulated simply by placing conjunctival epithelial cells in culture. We speculate that in conjunctiva K3 expression is influenced by certain negative exogenous factors. We discuss the possible means of regulation of keratin expression in our model system.

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^☆: This work was supported by a grant from NIH (GM 38470) awarded to J.C.R.J.

^b: M.A.K. is an NEI postdoctoral fellow (EY 07008), and is currently at the Department of Anatomy, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

^a: J.C.R.J. is a Junior Faculty Research Awardee of the American Cancer Society.

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Full paperThe role of the basement membrane in differential expression of keratin proteins in epithelial cells☆

Abstract

J. Invest. Dermatol

J. Biol. Chem

Cell

Curr. Top. Dev. Biol

J. Invest. Dermatol

Differentiation

Cell

Curr. Top. Dev. Biol

Differentiation

Ophthalmology (Philadelphia)

Bullous pemphigoid autoantibodies are markers of corneal epithelial hemidesmosomes

Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci

Distinct functions for integrins α3β1 in focal adhesions and α6β4bullous pemphigoid antigen in a new stable anchoring contact (SAC) of keratinocytes: Relation to hemidesmosomes

J. Cell Biol

The role of keratin subfamilies and keratin pairs in the formation of human epidermal intermediate filaments

J. Cell Biol

Anchoring filaments of the amphibian epidermal-dermal junction traverse the basal lamina entirely from the plasma membrane of hemidesmosomes to the dermis

J. Cell Sci

Domain and basement membrane specificity of a monoclonal antibody against chick type IV collagen

J. Cell Biol

Diversity of cytokeratins: Differentiation-specific expression of cytokeratin polypeptides in epithelial cells and tissues

J. Mol. Biol

Change of cytokeratin organization during the cell cycle: Selective masking of an immunologic determinant in interphase PtK2 cells

J. Cell Biol

Growth pressure and metaplasia of conjunctival and corneal epithelium

Doc. Ophthalmol

Basement membrane components in healing rabbit corneal epithelial wounds: Immunofluorescence and ultrastructural studies

J. Cell Biol

Anchoring fibrils form a complex network in human and rabbit cornea

Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci

Reassembly of the anchoring structures of the corneal epithelium during wound repair in the rabbit

Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci

Pair formation of cytokeratins: formation in vitro of heterotypic complexes and intermediatesized filaments by homologous and heterologous recombinations of purified polypeptides

J. Cell Biol

Role of basement membranes in development and differentiation

A function for the integrin α6β4 in the hemidesmosome

Cell Regul

Keratin-like proteins in corneal and conjunctival epithelium are different

Invest. Ophthalmol. Visual Sci

Full paper
The role of the basement membrane in differential expression of keratin proteins in epithelial cells☆

Distinct functions for integrins α₃β₁ in focal adhesions and $α_{6} β_{4} bullous$ pemphigoid antigen in a new stable anchoring contact (SAC) of keratinocytes: Relation to hemidesmosomes

Change of cytokeratin organization during the cell cycle: Selective masking of an immunologic determinant in interphase PtK₂ cells

A function for the integrin α₆β₄ in the hemidesmosome