Fig. 5: Presumed mechanism for the role of NFAT5 in acute corneal edema resorption after perforating corneal injury (PCI).
From: The role of the osmosensitive transcription factor NFAT5 in corneal edema resorption after injury
The naive (wild-type) cornea expresses NFAT5 mainly in vimentin+ fibroblasts (purple), whereas the majority of corneal macrophages are NFAT5- (gray). Blood (red) and lymphatic (green) vessels are present at the limbus. After PCI in wild-type mice, NFAT5 is mainly expressed by corneal macrophages (purple). In wild-type corneas, macrophage pinocytosis (blue) is low, resulting in persistent corneal edema. In contrast, macrophages in mice defective for NFAT5 show higher pinocytosis capacity, leading to a faster resorption of corneal edema after PCI; lymphatic vessels are unaltered.
