Abstract
Cataract is the single largest contributor to blindness in the world, with the disease having a strong genetic component. In recent years the Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases has been identified as a key regulator in lens clarity. In this review we discuss the roles of the Eph receptors in lens biology and cataract development.
Highlights
36 Fitzgerald P G, Bok D, Horwitz J
The lens consists of two main aquaporins: the lens epithelium consists of predominantly Aquaporin 1 (AQP1) [33,34] while the lens fiber cells express Aquaporin 0 (AQP0), formerly known as major intrinsic protein (MIP) [35,36]
The Eph family appears to play key roles in cadherin regulation through β-catenin. Along with these current studies, we have found that ephrin-A5 treatment of A431 cells and over-expression of EphA2 in HEK293T cells can inhibit epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced β-catenin phosphorylation
Summary
The bulk of the lens consists of organelle-less lens fiber cells; the oldest cells, formed during embryonic development (known as primary fiber cells), comprise the core of the tissue while the youngest and most newly formed cells (known as secondary fiber cells) are found more distally away from the center (Figure 1). The anterior face of the tissue comprises of a single layer of epithelium that consistently divides and differentiates into mature fiber cells. Lens epithelial cells anterior to the lens equator, a region known as the germinative zone, continue to divide, replacing cells undergoing differentiation. The epithelial cells near the equator, an area known as the transitional zone, elongate and differentiate into secondary lens fiber cells, continually adding onto the pre-existing lens structure and comprising the major part of the lens. Enlargement of the lens involves the overlaying of mature fiber cells with additional layers of newly formed differentiated cells, or growth shells. Each supplementary shell adds to the diameter of the lens, a combination of the addition of more secondary fiber cells and the widening of fiber cells [9]
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