Substrate Stiffness Modulates Stemness and Differentiation of Rabbit Corneal Endothelium Through the Paxillin–YAP Pathway

Purpose: To explore the role of substrate stiffness and the mechanism beneath corneal endothelial cells' (CECs') stemness maintenance and differentiation. Methods: CECs were divided into central zone (8 mm trephined boundary) and peripheral zone (8 mm trephined edge with attached limbal). Two zones were analyzed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy for anatomic structure. The elastic modulus of Descemet's membrane (DM) was analyzed by atomic force microscopy. Compressed type I collagen gels with different stiffness were constructed as an in vitro model system to test the role of stiffness on phenotype using cultured rabbit CECs. Cell morphology, expression and intracellular distribution of Yes-associated protein (YAP), differentiation (ZO-1, Na+/K+-ATPase), stemness (FOXD3, CD34, Sox2, Oct3/4), and endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EnMT) markers were analyzed by immunofluorescence, quantitative RT-PCR, and Western blot. Results: The results showed that the peripheral area of rabbit and human DM is softer than the central area ex vivo. Using the biomimetic extracellular matrix collagen gels in vitro model, we then demonstrated that soft substrate weakens the differentiation and EnMT in the culture of CECs. It was further proved by the inhibitor experiment that soft substrate enhances stemness maintenance via inhibition of paxillin-YAP signaling, which was activated on a stiff substrate. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that substrate stiffness modulates the stemness maintenance and differentiation of CECs and suggest a potential strategy for CEC-based corneal tissue engineering.