Isoproterenol treatment causes cytoskeletal reorganization in chicken lens fiber cells.

Cytoskeletal organization in organ cultured embryonic chicken lens was affected by isoproterenol treatment. Immunofluorescent localization of a 49 kD fiber cell-specific cytoskeletal protein showed a cytoplasmic and membrane localization in control lenses. Following isoproterenol treatment, fluorescence was predominantly membrane-associated. Changes in 49 kD distribution as determined by immunofluorescence occurred within minutes of isoproterenol application and were completely blocked by propranolol pretreatment. These results suggest that beta-adrenergic stimulation influences the apparent localization of a fiber cell-specific cytoskeletal protein.