The architecture of the cornea and structural basis of its transparency

Knupp, Carlo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9127-2252, Pinali, Christian, Lewis, Philip ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3353-0708, Parfitt, Geraint John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8704-7906, Young, Robert David ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8300-8002, Meek, Keith Michael Andrew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9948-7538 and Quantock, Andrew James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2484-3120 2009. The architecture of the cornea and structural basis of its transparency. McPherson, A., ed. Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology, Vol. 78. London: Academic Press, pp. 25-49. (10.1016/S1876-1623(08)78002-7)

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Abstract

The cornea is the transparent connective tissue window at the front of the eye. In the extracellular matrix of the corneal stroma, hybrid type I/V collagen fibrils are remarkably uniform in diameter atapproximately 30 nm and are regularly arranged into a pseudolattice. Fibrils are believed to be kept at defined distances by the influence of proteoglycans. Light entering the cornea is scattered by the collagen fibrils, but their spatial distribution is such that the scattered light interferes destructively in all directions except from the forward direction. In this way, light travels forward through the cornea to reach the retina. In this chapter, we will review the macromolecular components of the corneal stroma, the way they are organized into a stacked lamellar array, and how this organization guarantees corneal transparency.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Optometry and Vision Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > RE Ophthalmology
Publisher:	Academic Press
ISBN:	9780123748270
ISSN:	18761623
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	05 Nov 2022 15:24
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/23097

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