Distributional change of fodrin in the wound healing process of the corneal epithelium.

Distribution of fodrin, F-actin, and E-cadherin in the wound healing process of the mouse corneal epithelium was examined by immunolabeling techniques. In the normal epithelium, fodrin, F-actin, and E-cadherin were observed only in the cell periphery. After wounding, however, fodrin was observed diffusely in the basal cell cytoplasm. Distribution of the other two proteins was not changed. Fodrin in the upper cell layers did not show cytoplasmic labeling. The distributional change of fodrin in the basal cell was seen not less than 1 mm apart from the wound edge and as early as 5 min after the wounding, lasted for about 12 hr, and then gradually disappeared. The change in fodrin localization is one of the earliest phenomena which occur in the corneal epithelium after wounding. Because fodrin is an actin-binding protein and is believed to interact with E-cadherin, this change may be important in modulating the cytoskeleton and the intercellular junction before cell migration occurs.