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Meibomian gland cells display a differentiation-dependent composition of desmosomes

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Abstract

Meibomian glands are a modified type of sebaceous glands within the eye lid, which produce an oily secretion important for the stabilization and the prevention of evaporation of the tear film. The holocrine secretory mode of Meibomian glands is characterized by the centripetal movement, the maturation and finally degeneration of the acinar epithelial cells. The process of maturation and degeneration is paralleled by altered expression pattern of certain proteins and the intracellular accumulation of Meibomian gland lipids. In this study, we investigated the correlation between the differentiation status of Meibomian acinus cells and the presence of adhesive junctions. By ultrastructural analyses, we showed for the first time that the frequency of desmosomes increased with the degree of differentiation. Importantly, we detected a differentiation-dependent distribution pattern of desmosomes within the Meibomian gland cells of the acinus, whereas molecules of other cell junctions, e.g., adherens junctions, are equally distributed. Together, these findings provide new insights into the processes of Meibomian gland secretion and may be important for the interpretation of Meibomian gland dysfunction causing diseases like the dry eye syndrome.

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Abbreviations

Ab:

Antibody

AJ:

Adherens junction

bc:

Basal cell

bm:

Basement membrane

Ck:

Cytokeratin

Dp:

Desmoplakin

Dsc:

Desmocollin

Dsg:

Desmoglein

E-cad:

E-cadherin

H&E:

Hematoxylin and eosin

HMGEC:

Human Meibomian gland cell line

Mc:

Meibomian gland cells

MGD:

Meibomian gland dysfunction

p38MAPK:

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase

Pg:

Plakoglobin

TJ:

Tight junction

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Friedrich Paulsen (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen Nürnberg) for helpful discussion and Sabine Mühlsimer, Martina Hitzenbichler, Jana Matthes, Axel Unverzagt and Michael Becker for excellent technical assistant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany

    Vera Rötzer, Desalegn Egu & Jens Waschke

Authors
  1. Vera Rötzer
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  2. Desalegn Egu
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  3. Jens Waschke
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Correspondence to Jens Waschke.

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The authors state no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Dedication to Prof. Dr. Detlev Drenckhahn.

Detlev Drenckhahn is one of the most visionary scientists I have met and worked with. For example, coming from the field of vascular biology he suggested to study desmosomes and to use peptides to modify their adhesion based on the fact that the adhesion molecules of desmosomes belong to the cadherin superfamily similar to the adhesion molecules of endothelial cells. This for us opened up a completely new field of research. Therefore, we contribute this article to this special edition of Histochem Cell Biol in which we characterize the desmosomes of Meibomian glands to lay the ground for a new project on the regulation of cell adhesion in glandular cells.

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Rötzer, V., Egu, D. & Waschke, J. Meibomian gland cells display a differentiation-dependent composition of desmosomes. Histochem Cell Biol 146, 685–694 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-016-1475-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-016-1475-y

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