Molecular Mechanisms Controlling the Gene Expression Program for Corneal Repair

The wound healing response following surgical injury to the cornea can be quite variable and difficult to predict. The goal of this paper is to elucidate basic mechanisms which control activation of the corneal stromal cell to the repair phenotype and its subsequent competence to mediate repair tissue remodeling. These studies focused on expression of the matrix metalloproteinase, collagenase. The experiments performed in this study lead to the proposal of a new paradigm for understanding the modulation of repair gene expression by the wound environment, that is, regulation through autocrine cytokine intermediates. This model suggests a novel point at which drug intervention can be used to alter the repair process.