The goal of this proposal is to determine the role and regulation of specific adhesion related molecules in the maintenance of corneal epithelial integrity. The cells of the corneal epithelium are tightly adherent to each other as well as to the underlying extracellular matrix. To maintain a healthy epithelium the cells must regulate their adhesivity. The balance between stable and dynamic epithelial adhesion cell-cell and cell matrix adhesion is well demonstrated during the process of epithelial wound healing. While the epithelial cell sheet remains intact during migration its adhesions are modified in such a way to afford cell shape changes, cell sliding and cell spreading. Upon successful completion of the wound closure, the epithelium reverses the above changes and again establishes the stable epithelial configuration. The investigator plans to further characterize an adhesion related protein, pinin, that may be integral to regulating epithelial phenotype. The goal is to address the consequences of over and/or underexpressing pinin and look at the gene expression downstream of pinin and determine the molecular complexes with which pinin is associated.
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