Examine differential expression of sulf-1 and sulf-2, enzymes involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis. Mus musculus

Our specific aim is to examine differential expression of sulf-1 and sulf-2, enzymes involved in heparan sulfate biosynthesis, as well as Wnt ligands and Wnt signaling mediators during corneal wound healing using a mouse corneal scratch model. The specific structural features of heparan sulfate underlie its role in modulating cellular responses to growth factors such as the Wnts. Heparan sulfate 6-O-endosulfatases (sulf-1 and sulf-2) remove 6-O sulfate group from trisulfated disaccharides present on heparan sulfate chains. Our preliminary results suggest that sulf-1 is upregulated at the protein level in the epithelial cells of wounded mouse corneas, as compared to the undamaged contralateral eye. Modulation of heparan sulfate proteoglycan expression and/or structural modifications of its chains might be an important aspect of the regulation of epithelial cell migration and proliferation during wound healing. Overall design: RNA preparations from four different conditions, were sent to Microarray Core (E). Gene expression was examined in triplicates at 2 time points (8 and 24 hrs post-wounding: 6 arrays), using the contralateral eye as a control at one time point as a control (3 arrays). To account for a systemic response (i.e. bilateral inflammation) to the corneal wounding, corneas of non-wounded mice (3 arrays) were used. The RNA was amplified, labeled, and hybridized to the GLYCOv3 microarrays.