Corneal Endothelial Cell Fate Is Maintained by LGR5 Through the Regulation of Hedgehog and Wnt Pathways

    April 2013 in “ Stem cells ”
    Kana Hirata-Tominaga, Takahiro Nakamura, Naoki Okumura, Satoshi Kawasaki, EunDuck P. Kay, Yann Barrandon, Noriko Koizumi, Shigeru Kinoshita
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    TLDR LGR5 helps maintain corneal cell characteristics and prevents unwanted changes by controlling specific cell signaling pathways.
    The study from July 2013 demonstrated that LGR5, a receptor known as a marker for stem cells in various tissues, is expressed in the peripheral region of human corneal endothelial cells (CECs) and may have stem/progenitor cell properties. The research revealed that LGR5 acts as a negative feedback regulator of the Hedgehog signaling pathway and helps maintain the endothelial cell phenotype while preventing mesenchymal transformation via the Wnt pathway. Additionally, the study found that R-spondin-1, a ligand for LGR5, significantly increased CEC proliferation and also inhibited mesenchymal transformation through the Wnt pathway. These results suggest that LGR5 plays a crucial role in the homeostatic regulation of human corneal endothelial stem/progenitor cells through its interaction with the Hedgehog and Wnt pathways.
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