{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T05:10:55Z","timestamp":1790745055576,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,29]],"date-time":"2023-04-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1682726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000005","name":"Department of Defense","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["VR210001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VR210001"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000005","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000005","name":"Department of Defense","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EY025585"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000005","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000053","name":"National Eye Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["VR210001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VR210001"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000053","name":"National Eye Institute","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EY025585"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000053","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"National Institutes of Health","award":["VR210001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VR210001"]}]},{"name":"National Institutes of Health","award":["EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EY025585"]}]},{"name":"Research to Prevent Blindness","award":["VR210001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VR210001"]}]},{"name":"Research to Prevent Blindness","award":["EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EY025585"]}]},{"name":"The Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation","award":["VR210001"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["VR210001"]}]},{"name":"The Cleveland Eye Bank Foundation","award":["EY025585"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EY025585"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Biomolecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Bowman\u2019s layer is an acellular layer in the anterior stroma found in the corneas of humans, most other primates, chickens, and some other species. Many other species, however, including the rabbit, dog, wolf, cat, tiger, and lion, do not have a Bowman\u2019s layer. Millions of humans who have had photorefractive keratectomy over the past thirty plus years have had Bowman\u2019s layer removed by excimer laser ablation over their central cornea without apparent sequelae. A prior study showed that Bowman\u2019s layer does not contribute significantly to mechanical stability within the cornea. Bowman\u2019s layer does not have a barrier function, as many cytokines and growth factors, as well as other molecules, such as EBM component perlecan, pass bidirectionally through Bowman\u2019s layer in normal corneal functions, and during the response to epithelial scrape injury. We hypothesized that Bowman\u2019s layer represents a visible indicator of ongoing cytokine and growth factor-mediated interactions that occur between corneal epithelial cells (and corneal endothelial cells) and stromal keratocytes that maintain the normal corneal tissue organization via negative chemotactic and apoptotic effects of modulators produced by the epithelium on stromal keratocytes. Interleukin-1 alpha, produced constitutively by corneal epithelial cells and endothelial cells, is thought to be one of these cytokines. Bowman\u2019s layer is destroyed in corneas with advanced Fuchs\u2019 dystrophy or pseudophakic bullous keratopathy when the epithelium becomes edematous and dysfunctional, and fibrovascular tissue commonly develops beneath and\/or within the epithelium in these corneas. Bowman\u2019s-like layers have been noted to develop surrounding epithelial plugs within the stromal incisions years after radial keratotomy. Although there are species-related differences in corneal wound healing, and even between strains within a species, these differences are not related to the presence or absence of Bowman\u2019s layer.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/biom13050771","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,5,1]],"date-time":"2023-05-01T13:54:46Z","timestamp":1682949286000},"page":"771","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":25,"title":["The Cornea: No Difference in the Wound Healing Response to Injury Related to Whether, or Not, There\u2019s a Bowman\u2019s Layer"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8121-960X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steven E.","family":"Wilson","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"The Cole Eye Institute, I-32, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,4,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1001\/archopht.117.1.67","article-title":"Immunolocalization of beta Ig-h3 protein in 5q31-linked corneal dystrophies and normal corneas","volume":"117","author":"Streeten","year":"1999","journal-title":"Arch. 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