Immunolabelling of usual and putative limbal stem cells markers on flat mounted whole human corneas

Purpose The permanent regeneration of the human corneal epithelium involves the proliferation of basal cells of corneal epithelium for compensating for daily desquamation (Majo et al. Nature 2008) and of limbal stem cells (LSCs, Cotsarelis, Cell 1989) located in limbal crypts that can be stimulated in case of important epithelial lesion. Many markers of LSCs had been described in the literature but some are controversial, particularly for their specificity. Aim To evaluate the specificity of the main LSC markers proposed in the literature and map their expression on the surface of the cornea. Methods Referenced or potential markers of LCSs were tested on cross‐sections of fresh human corneas (body donation to Sciences, time between death‐retrieval‐fixation