Keratocan expression of murine keratocytes is maintained on amniotic membrane by down-regulating transforming growth factor-β signaling

Keratocytes in the corneal stroma express keratan sulfate-containing proteoglycans including cornea-specific keratocan. On plastic dishes, human, bovine, and rabbit keratocytes lose their characteristic dendritic morphology and keratocan expression when cultured in serum-containing media. Herein, we demonstrated that murine keratocytes also acquired a fibroblastic shape and lost keratocan expression after first passage when cultured on plastic in the presence of serum. In contrast, cells expanded on human amniotic membrane (AM) stromal matrix maintained a three-dimensional dendritic morphology and expressed keratocan mRNA and protein for at least 8 passages before senescence. When keratocytes were cultured on AM, the promoter activity of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β2 and TGF-β receptor II was down-regulated as compared with that on plastic. Furthermore, cells on AM continuously retained Smad 2 and Smad 4 in the cytoplasm and did not express α-smooth muscle actin, even when 10 ng/ml TGF-β1 was added in a serum-free medium for up to 5 days. In parallel to such down-regulation of TGF-β signaling, keratocan promoter-driven ECFP expression was observed in cells cultured either on AM in the presence of serum or on plastic containing serum treated with a neutralizing antibody to TGF-β. Collectively, these results indicate that down-regulation of Smad-mediated TGF-β signaling is an important mechanism for cultured keratocytes to maintain a normal phenotype while continuously expanded in a serum-containing medium. This strategy of suppressing TGF-β signaling, achieved by AM stromal matrix in part via suppression of TGF-β gene transcription, can be used to expand keratocytes in culture without the use of AM in the future.