Three connexin genes have been reported to be expressed in the lens. The a1 connexin (Cx43) has been detected in mouse lens epithelial cells (Yancey et al., Xiaohua Gong,* En Li,† George Klier,* Qingling Huang,‡ Ying Wu,* Hong Lei,† Nalin M. Kumar,* Joseph Horwitz,‡ and Norton B. Gilula*§ 1992). Both a3 (Cx46) and a8 (Cx50) connexin have been detected in the elongating primary fibers, as well a...

A review of recent work upon lens proteins suggests that Morners concept of three soluble lens proteins may still be tenable. This conclusion is based upon consideration of physical and chemical studies. Ultracentrifugal investigations of alpha crystallin indicate that it is composed of a number of different-sized aggregates of subunits held together by noncovalent forces. Studies at various pH...

The alpha-crystallins (alpha A and alpha B) are major lens structural proteins of the vertebrate eye that are related to the small heat shock protein family. In addition, crystallins (especially alpha B) are found in many cells and organs outside the lens, and alpha B is overexpressed in several neurological disorders and in cell lines under stress conditions. Here I show that alpha-crystallin ...

Introduction The lens is a cellular structure formed from elongated fibre cells aligning into concentric layers that stack together with the organization of a uni-axial crystal 111. Within the fibre cells, where protein turnover is low, protein components are packed together [2-41 with short-range order [S]. The high protein concentration is important both for refraction and transparency. Globu...

Transgenic mice, homozygous for HIV-1 protease expression in the eye lens, display degradation of some lens crystallins and cytoskeletal proteins prior to cataract formation on postnatal days 23-25. Alterations to the internal lens hydration state also occur; therefore, the status of the aquaporin protein MIP26 was examined over postnatal days 16-25 to determine if it was altered during catarac...

Oxidative damage of the lens causes disulfide bonds between cysteinyl residues of lens proteins and thiols such as glutathione and cysteine, which may lead to cataract. The effect of H2O2 oxidation was determined by comparing bovine lenses incubated with and without 30 mM H2O2. The H2O2 treatment decreased the glutathione and increased the protein-glutathione and protein-cysteine disulfides in ...

We have investigated the role of recombinant human KAand KB-crystallins in the heat-induced inactivation and aggregation of citrate synthase. Homo-multimers of both KAand KB-crystallins confer protection against heat-induced inactivation in a concentration-dependent manner and also prevent aggregation. Interaction of crystallins with early unfolding intermediates of citrate synthase reduces the...

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age individuals in the United States and is expected to continue growing with the increased prevalence of diabetes. Streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemia in rats is the most commonly used model for diabetic retinopathy. Previous studies have shown that this model can lead to different inflammatory changes in the retina depending...

PURPOSE To measure the protein distribution patterns in single young porcine lenses. METHODS Twenty fresh porcine lenses from 5 to 6 months old animals were fractionated into 8-10 concentric fractions by controlled dissolution in phosphate buffer. Proportions of soluble and insoluble protein were determined by Bradford assay. Water-soluble proteins in all layers were separated into HMW, MMW, ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether myofibroblast differentiation altered keratocyte crystallin protein concentration and increased cellular light scattering. METHODS Serum-free cultured rabbit corneal keratocytes and TGFβ (5 ng/mL) induced myofibroblasts were harvested and counted and protein/RNA extracted. Expression of myofibroblast and keratocyte markers was determi...