Name: growth of human and sheep corneal endothelial cell layers on biomaterial membranes
Uploaded: 2020-02-06T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Growth of Human and Sheep Corneal Endothelial Cell Layers on Biomaterial Membranes at JoVE.com

Thanks to No&#233;mie Gallorini for her assistance during the preparation of Figure 7. This work was supported by a project grant awarded to DH by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (Project Grant 1099922), and by supplementary funding received from the Queensland Eye Institute Foundation.

Human corneas with donor consent for research were obtained from the Queensland Eye Bank and used with ethics approval from the Metro South Hospital and Health Service&#39;s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/07/QPAH/048). Sheep corneas were obtained from euthanized animals at the Herston Medical Research Facility of the University of Queensland under a tissue sharing agreement.
1. Preparation of dissection tools
<ol>
	<li>Sterilize two pairs of number 4 watchmaker forceps by either soaki...

<ol>
	<li>G&#252;ell, J. L., El Husseiny, M. A., Manero, F., Gris, O., Elies, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Historical+Review+and+Update+of+Surgical+Treatment+for+Corneal+Endothelial+Diseases.">Historical Review and Update of Surgical Treatment for Corneal Endothelial Diseases.</a> Ophthalmology and Therapy. 3, 1-15 (2014).</li><li>Tan, D. T. H., Dart, J. K. G., Holland, E. J., Kinoshita, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Corneal+transplantation.">Corneal transplantation.</a> The Lancet. 379 (9827), 1749-1761 (2012).</li><li>Soh, Y. Q., Peh, G. S. L., Mehta, J. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Translational+issues+for+human+corneal+endothelial+tissue+engineering.">Translational issues for human corneal endothelial tissue engineering.</a> Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regnerative Medicine. 11 (9), 2425-2442 (2017).</li><li>Senoo, T., Joyce, N. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+Cycle+Kinetics+in+Corneal+Endothelium+from+Old+and+Young+Donors.">Cell Cycle Kinetics in Corneal Endothelium from Old and Young Donors.</a> Investigative Ophthalmology, Visual Science. 41 (3), 660-667 (2000).</li><li>Roy, O., Leclerc, V. B., Bourget, J. M., Th&#233;riault, M., Proulx, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Understanding+the+process+of+corneal+endothelial+morphological+change+in+vitro.">Understanding the process of corneal endothelial morphological change in vitro.</a> Investigative Ophthalmology, Visual Science. 56, 1228-1237 (2015).</li><li>Harkin, D. G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mounting+of+Biomaterials+for+Use+in+Ophthalmic+Cell+Therapies.">Mounting of Biomaterials for Use in Ophthalmic Cell Therapies.</a> Cell Transplantation. 26 (11), 1717-1732 (2017).</li><li>Trepat, X., Chen, Z., Jacobson, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+migration.">Cell migration.</a> Comprehensive Physiology. 2 (4), 2369-2392 (2012).</li><li>Walshe, J., Harkin, D. G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Serial+explant+culture+provides+novel+insights+into+the+potential+location+and+phenotype+of+corneal+endothelial+progenitor+cells.">Serial explant culture provides novel insights into the potential location and phenotype of corneal endothelial progenitor cells.</a> Experimental Eye Research. 127, 9-13 (2014).</li><li>Al Abdulsalam, N. K., Barnett, N. L., Harkin, D. G., Walshe, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cultivation+of+corneal+endothelial+cells+from+sheep.">Cultivation of corneal endothelial cells from sheep.</a> Experimental Eye Research. 173, 24-31 (2018).</li><li>Parekh, M., Ferrari, S., Sheridan, C., Kaye, S., Ahmad, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Concise+Review:+An+Update+on+the+Culture+of+Human+Corneal+Endothelial+Cells+for+Transplantation.">Concise Review: An Update on the Culture of Human Corneal Endothelial Cells for Transplantation.</a> Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 5 (2), 258-264 (2016).</li><li>Peh, G. S., Toh, K. P., Wu, F. Y., Tan, D. T., Mehta, J. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cultivation+of+human+corneal+endothelial+cells+isolated+from+paired+donor+corneas.">Cultivation of human corneal endothelial cells isolated from paired donor corneas.</a> PLoS One. 6 (12), 28310 (2011).</li></ol>

A significant technical challenge associated with establishing and expanding human corneal endothelial cells is preventing EMT from occurring in the cultures. EMT can be triggered in corneal endothelial cells by loss of cell-to-cell contact, yet most cell culture protocols for these cells involve enzymatic dissociation to single cells during isolation and subculture10. Here we present an alternative cell culture protocol for corneal endothelial cells that minimizes the risk of cells losing contact...

The cornea is a transparent tissue that is situated at the front of the eye. It is composed of three major layers: an epithelial layer on the outer surface, a middle stroma layer, and an inner layer called the corneal endothelium. The corneal endothelium is a monolayer of cells that sits on a basement membrane called Descemet&#39;s membrane and it maintains the transparency of the cornea by regulating the amount of fluid that enters the stroma from the underlying aqueous humor. Too much fluid within the stroma causes corneal swelling, opacity and vision loss. The endothelium is therefore vital for maintaining vision.
The corneal endothelium can become dysfunctional for a number of reasons including aging, disease and injury, and the only current treatment is transplant surgery. During this surgery, the endothelium and Descemet&#39;s membrane is removed from the patient&#39;s cornea and replaced with a graft of endothelium and Descemet&#39;s membrane obtained from a donor cornea. Many endothelium grafts also contain a thin layer of stromal tissue to aid handling and attachment to the host cornea1.
Worldwide, the demand for corneal donor tissue for transplant surgeries is greater than the amount that can be supplied by eye banks2. There has therefore been a drive to develop tissue-engineered corneal endothelium transplants that could be used to alleviate this shortfall3. The rationale for this is based on the fact that currently, endothelium from an individual cornea can only be transferred to a single patient, however, if the corneal endothelial cells were first expanded and grown on biomaterial scaffolds in tissue culture, they could be used to treat multiple patients.
Major challenges that need to be addressed before tissue-engineered corneal endothelium transplants become a feasible option for surgeons include: (1) establishing techniques for expanding corneal endothelial cells of high quality and for producing mature and functional corneal endothelial cell layers in vitro, and (2) establishing techniques for growing the cells on biomaterial scaffolds to produce tissue-engineered grafts that are equal to, or better than, the donor cornea-derived grafts that are currently used.
Corneal endothelial cells have a very low proliferative potential in vivo but can be stimulated to divide in vitro4. Nevertheless, they have a strong tendency to undergo in vitro epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which reduces their capacity to form a mature, functional endothelial layer. Known triggers for EMT in corneal endothelial cells include exposure to certain growth factors and loss of cell-to-cell contact5. It is thus almost inevitable that corneal endothelial cell cultures that are enzymatically dissociated during subculture will undergo changes associated with EMT. Here, we present a cell culture method for human or sheep corneal endothelial cells that is designed to minimize disruption of cell-to-cell contacts during isolation, expansion and subculture stages, to reduce the potential for EMT. Furthermore, we demonstrate how tissue-engineered grafts that resemble donor cornea-derived endothelium/Descemet&#39;s membrane/stromal tissue grafts can be produced by growing cultured cell layers on both sides of a biomaterial membrane in a custom-made mounting device.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Attachment factor</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>S006100</td>
			<td>A 1X sterile solution containing gelatin that is used to coat tissue culture surfaces. Store at 4 &#176;C.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine pituitary extract</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>13028014</td>
			<td>A single vial contains 25 mg. Freeze in aliquots.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Calcium chloride</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>C5670</td>
			<td>Dissolve in HBSS to make a 1 mM stock solution. Filter sterilise.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge tube, 50 ml</td>
			<td>Labtek</td>
			<td>650.550.050</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Chondroitin sulphate</td>
			<td>LKT Laboratories</td>
			<td>C2960</td>
			<td>This is bovine chondroitin sulphate. Dissolve in HBSS to make a 0.08 g/mL stock solution. Filter sterilise and freeze in aliquots.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dispase II</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>17105-041</td>
			<td>Dissolve in DPBS to make a 2 mg/mL stock solution. Filter sterilise and freeze in aliquots.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ethanol</td>
			<td>Labtek</td>
			<td>EA043</td>
			<td>100% undenatured ethanol should be diluted to 70% in deionised water for sterilising instruments and surfaces.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Foetal bovine serum</td>
			<td>GE Healthcare Australia Pty Ltd</td>
			<td>SH30084.03</td>
			<td>This is a HyClone brand of foetal bovine serum.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Coverglass No. 1, &#216; 13 mm</td>
			<td>Proscitech</td>
			<td>G401-13</td>
			<td>Place sterilised cover slips into 24-well plates for tissue culture.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HBSS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14025-092</td>
			<td>Hank&#39;s balanced salt solution, 1X, containing calcium chloride and magnesium chloride.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>A8960</td>
			<td>Dissolve in HBSS to make a 150 mM stock solution. Filter sterilise.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro-Boyden chamber</td>
			<td>CNC Components Pty. Ltd.</td>
			<td>Upper ring: QUT-0002-0006, Base ring: QUT-0002-0007</td>
			<td>Both components are made from polytetrafluoroethelyne (PTFE).</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>O-ring for micro-Boyden chamber</td>
			<td>Ludowici Sealing Solutions</td>
			<td>RSB012</td>
			<td>Composed of silicon rubber.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Opti-MEM 1 (1X) + GlutaMAX-1</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>51985-034</td>
			<td>A reduced serum medium containing glutamine.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DPBS</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>14190-144</td>
			<td>Dulbecco&#39;s phosphate buffered saline, 1X, without calcium chloride and magnesium chloride.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pen Strep</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td>A 100X antibiotic solution containing 10,000 Units/mL penicillin and 10,000 &#181;g/mL streptomycin.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri dish</td>
			<td>Sarstedt</td>
			<td>82.14473.001</td>
			<td>Sterile Petri dish, 92 X 16 mm, for tissue dissections.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue culture plate, 24 well</td>
			<td>Corning Incorporated</td>
			<td>Costar 3524</td>
			<td>A plate containing 24 wells, each with a surface area of 2 cm2.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tissue culture plate, 6 well</td>
			<td>Corning Incorporated</td>
			<td>Costar 3516</td>
			<td>A plate containing 6 wells, each with a surface area of 9 cm2.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TrypLE Select</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>12563-011</td>
			<td>A 1X enzyme solution for dissociating cells.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Versene</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>15040-066</td>
			<td>A 1X EDTA solution for dissociating cells.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Watchmaker forceps</td>
			<td>Labtek</td>
			<td>BWMF4</td>
			<td>Number 4 watchmaker forceps work well for removing strips of endothelium/Descemet&#39;s membrane from corneas.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

growth of human and sheep corneal endothelial cell layers on biomaterial membranes

Corneal endothelial cell cultures have a tendency to undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) after loss of cell-to-cell contact. EMT is deleterious for the cells as it reduces their ability to form a mature and functional layer. Here, we present a method for establishing and subculturing human and sheep corneal endothelial cell cultures that minimizes the loss of cell-to-cell contact. Explants of corneal endothelium/Descemet&#39;s membrane are taken from donor corneas and placed into tissue culture under conditions that allow the cells to collectively migrate onto the culture surface. Once a culture has been established, the explants are transferred to fresh plates to initiate new cultures. Dispase II is used to gently lift clumps of cells off tissue culture plates for subculturing. Corneal endothelial cell cultures that have been established using this protocol are suitable for transferring to biomaterial membranes to produce tissue-engineered cell layers for transplantation in animal trials. A custom-made device for supporting biomaterial membranes during tissue culture is described and an example of a tissue-engineered graft composed of a layer of corneal endothelial cells and a layer of corneal stromal cells on either side of a collagen type I membrane is presented.

The method for isolating and expanding corneal endothelial cells from human or sheep corneas is summarized in Figure 1 and Figure 2. Most explants that are derived from the corneas of 1 to 2-year-old sheep or human donors of less than 30 years of age will attach to Attachment Factor-coated tissue culture plates within a week, however, it is not unusual to find that up to one third of explants fail to attach within this time. These &#39;floating&#39; explants can...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Growth of Human and Sheep Corneal Endothelial Cell Layers on Biomaterial Membranes at JoVE.com

Growth of Human and Sheep Corneal Endothelial Cell Layers on Biomaterial Membranes

This protocol describes the critical steps required to establish and grow corneal endothelial cell cultures from explants of human or sheep tissue. A method for subculturing corneal endothelial cells on membranous biomaterials is also presented.

Corneal endothelial cell cultures have a tendency to undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) after loss of cell-to-cell contact. EMT is ...

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