Temporal, 3-dimensional, cellular anatomy of corneal wound tissue.

We have evaluated temporally the 3-dimensional cellular anatomy of corneal wound tissue in the rabbit eye using in vivo tandem scanning confocal microscopy. In vivo microscopic studies showed that corneal fibroblast migrated into the wound as an interconnected cellular meshwork with long, thin, randomly oriented cell processes. Interconnection of fibroblasts was further confirmed by localisation of monoclonal antibodies to connexin 43 which demonstrated prominent staining of putative gap junctions between fibroblasts. Temporal observations indicated that the interconnected cells and cellular processes undergo sequential positional changes leading to orientation of cells and interconnected cell processes parallel to the wound margin. Laser scanning confocal microscopy of en bloc, phalloidin-stained corneal wounds showed prominent intracellular f-actin bundles (i.e. stress fibres) within cell processes which formed an extensive interwoven pattern within the wound.