Protein post-translational modification and age-related cataract

Abstract

Cataract is the main cause of vision impairment, and age-related cataract is the most common type of cataract. Protein post-translational modification is the enzymatic processing of a polypeptide chain after translation from messenger RNA and after peptide bond formation has occurred. Deamidation, glycation and oxidation are age-related processes. They can change the structure or solubility of crystallin and result in the opacity of lens while acetylation and methylation may be related to the protection of lens protein. Although much effort has been directed towards slowing progression or preventing the occurrence of cataract, the management of cataract remains surgical. This review deals with the relations between different kinds of protein post-translational modification and age-related cataract as well as some protective methods aiming at the process of post-translational modification.