Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40298888›Full record

ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2025

Prox1 Protein in Corneal Limbal Lymphatic Vessels Maintains Limbal Stem Cell Stemness and Regulates Corneal Injury Repair.

An Wang, Zongyuan Li, Yilin Jiang, Mingxiong Chen, Hanrui Yu, Zhao Li, Shengshu Sun, Ge Bai, Qun Wang, Yifei Huang and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

An WangMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zongyuan LiMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yilin JiangMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Mingxiong ChenDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Hanrui YuMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Zhao LiDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Shengshu SunMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Ge BaiDepartment of Ophthalmology, The Third Medical Center, Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Qun WangMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Yifei HuangMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.
Liqiang WangMedical School of Chinese PLA General Hospital - 301 Hospital, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role of the corneal lymphatic Prox1 gene in modulating limbal stem cell stemness and facilitating corneal injury repair. Methods: The limbal Prox1 gene was knocked down by adeno-associated virus (AAV). The alkali burn model was induced in the naive group, the AAV-sham group, and the AAV-shProx1 group. Anterior segment photography, fluorescein sodium staining, and hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining were conducted immediately on days 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 post-injury. Immunofluorescent (IF) staining was used to assess Ki67, ΔNp63, and K14. Additionally, seq-mRNA technology facilitated a comparative transcriptomic analysis between the AAV-sham and the AAV-shProx1 groups 7 days post-injury. Key regulated genes were verified by protein level. Furthermore, a co-culture model of lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) and limbal stem cells (LSCs) was used to investigate the proliferation capacity and stemness expression of LSCs. Results: Fluorescein sodium staining revealed that the epithelial defect area was significantly larger in the AAV-shProx1 group than in the AAV-sham group on days 1 and 3 post-injury (P < 0.05). Ki67, ΔNp63, and K14 expressions were consistently lower in the AAV-shProx1 group than in the AAV-sham group at distinct time points. Additionally, seq-mRNA results demonstrated that genes (Prox1 and Lyve1) were downregulated while inflammatory factors (Ccl2, Ccl7, IL16, IL1R, and TNFsf11) were upregulated in the AAV-shProx1 group compared with the AAV-sham group. When Prox1 was silenced in LECs, the proliferation and stemness of LSCs were markedly downregulated. Conclusions: The Prox1 and Lyve1 proteins in lymphatic vessels served as pivotal regulated proteins in corneal injury repair. The draining role of lymphatic vessels during corneal injury was indispensable.

Indexed as

Burns, ChemicalCorneal InjuriesEye BurnsGene Expression RegulationHomeodomain ProteinsLimbus CorneaeLymphatic VesselsStem CellsTumor Suppressor ProteinsWound HealingAnimalsCell ProliferationCells, CulturedCoculture TechniquesDisease Models, AnimalLimbal Stem CellsHomeodomain ProteinsProspero-Related Homeobox 1 ProteinTumor Suppressor Proteins

Identifiers

PMID40298888
PMCPMC12045113

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.