Fig. 9 | Nature Communications

Fig. 9

From: Assessment of corneal substrate biomechanics and its effect on epithelial stem cell maintenance and differentiation

Fig. 9

Schematic representation of overall results from in vivo experiments and proposed mechanism of action. Briefly, stiffening of the limbus caused by alkali burn induces the activation and nuclear translocation of YAP, a key regulator of mechanotransduction. The nuclear YAP then acts as a transcription factor, promoting Wtn/β-catenin and suppressing Sox9 signalling, which in turn induce cell differentiation and lead to loss of LESCs. By softening the burned limbus with collagenase, repopulating stem/progenitor cells retain a mostly inactive YAP, with corresponding high Sox9 and low Wtn/β-catenin levels promoting LESC phenotype maintenance

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