Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
1932713 | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications | 2009 | 5 Pages |
Corneal epithelial stem cells (CESCs) are essential for maintaining the ocular surface. However, the lack of surface markers for CESCs remains a serious obstacle in the identification of CESCs. Previously, we showed that rabbit limbal epithelial side population (rLE-SP) cells exhibited stem cell phenotypes including increased expression of CD61, a marker for mouse hematopoietic stem cells. Here, we demonstrate that nectin-3, an immunoglobulin-like cell–cell adhesion molecule, is highly expressed in rLE-SP cells. Additionally, nectin-3+ cells were significantly enriched among CD61+rLE-SP cells as compared to CD61−rLE-SP cells. In mouse bone marrow side population cells, a correlation between expression of nectin-3 and CD61 was also observed. These data strongly suggest that nectin-3 may contribute to the identification of CESCs.