P53, CD95, cathepsin and survivin pathways in Fuchs’ dystrophy and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy corneas
Nóra Szentmáry1, Béla Szende2,3 and Ildikó Süveges1
1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Department of Ophthalmology, 2Semmelweis University, Budapest, 1st Department of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research and 3Research Group for Molecular Pathology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Semmelweis University, Budapest.
Offprint requests to: Dr. Nóra Szentmáry, Semmelweis University, Department of Ophtalmology, Budapest 1083, Tömó utca 25-29, Hungary. e-mail: nszentmary@hotmail.com, szentmary@szem1.sote.hu
Summary. Our purpose was to elucidate the pathways of apoptosis of corneas with Fuchs’ dystrophy and pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. Sixteen corneal buttons (14 patients, median age 73 years) with Fuchs’ dystrophy, 13 with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK) (13 patients, median age 69 years) and 8 buttons (8 patients, median age 59 years) from enucleated eyes with chorioideal melanoma (controls) were analysed histologically. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed to investigate the expression of p21, p27, p63, survivin, CD95, cathepsin, bax, bcl-2 and Ki67.
Positive immunohistochemical reactions were detected in epithelial cells of the corneas, but keratocytes and endothelial cells were not positive in any of the groups or stainings. The number of p27 and survivin positive epithelial cells was significantly lower (p=0.048 and 0.041) and the number of cathepsin positive epithelial cells was significantly higher (p=0.004) in Fuchs’ dystrophy corneas compared to controls. In pseudophakic bullous keratopathy, p21 and p27 positive epithelial cells were present in a significantly lower (p=0.02 and 0.005) number than in controls.
We conclude that genetically programmed cell death is related to the p27, cathepsin and survivin pathways in Fuchs’ dystrophy and to the p21 and p27 pathways in pseudophakic bullous keratopathy. Histol Histopathol 23, 911-916 (2008)
Key words: Apoptosis, Fuchs’ dystrophy, Pseudophakic bullous keratopathy, Survivin, Cathepsin
DOI: 10.14670/HH-23.911