Differential microarray experiments have shown that there are 186 transcripts predominantly overexpressed in the limbus, 644 in the cornea and 506 in the conjunctiva of the vervet monkey. In humans, 332 and 592 transcripts are predominantly overexpressed in the conjunctival and corneal epithelia, respectively. Mounting evidence generated from clinical observations and experimental animal studie...

The morphology of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and closely associated Bruch's membrane (complexus basalis) and choriocapillaris have been investigated by electron microscopy in the vervet monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops). The RPE is composed of a single layer of cuboidal cells joined laterally by apically-located junctional complexes. Basally (sclerally) these cells display numerous info...

Primate social life and behaviour is contingent on a number of levels: phylogenetic, functional and proximate. Although this contingency is recognized by socioecological theory, variability in behaviour is still commonly viewed as 'noise' around a central tendency, rather than as a source of information. An alternative view is that selection has acted on social reaction norms that encompass dem...

PURPOSE To elucidate the unique molecular factors and biological processes that are differentially expressed in the limbal stem cell microenvironment by comparing directly to that of its immediate adjacent structures, the cornea and conjunctiva. METHODS Total RNA was isolated and amplified from the limbus, cornea, and conjunctiva. A gene expression profile of each tissue type was obtained by ...

Cannabinoids exert their actions mainly through two receptors, the cannabinoid CB1 receptor (CB1R) and cannabinoid CB2 receptor (CB2R). In recent years, the G-protein coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) was suggested as a cannabinoid receptor based on its activation by anandamide and tetrahydrocannabinol. Yet, its formal classification is still a matter of debate. CB1R and CB2R expression patterns are ...