Corneal injury induces lymphangiogenesis, upregulation of VEGF-C, and membrane VEGFR-3 expression. (A) Immunostaining of normal and sutured cornea on day 3 reveals sVEGFR-3 and VEGF-C upregulation at the site of suture, indicating that sVEGFR-3 initially tends to capture VEGF-C and control VEGF-C surge. Negative controls are sections stained with isotype-control primary antibodies. (B) Real-time PCR of normal and sutured cornea on day 3 revealing mechanical trauma leads to instant increase in VEGF-C mRNA levels (n = 5). (C) Western blot of normal (1) and sutured cornea (2) on day 5 leads to expression of membrane VEGFR-3 (170 kDa) in sutured cornea that leads to signaling through VEGFR-3 and development of lymphatic vessels.