METHODS. The human lenses were diabetic or age-matched control lenses from donors 57, 59, 69, and 72 years of age. Lenses were also obtained from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Individual lens crystallins in water-soluble fractions were separated by gel-permeation chromatography. The high ( H)and low ( L)-molecular-weight fractions were analyzed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Aggregation of beta-lactoglobulin occurs mainly via intermolecular disulphide bond exchange. Upon heating, beta-lactoglobulin aggregated which increased with increasing pH. The presence of DTT led to more rapid aggregation and precipitation of beta-lactoglobulin. AlphaCrystallin prevented the aggregation of heat-stressed beta-lactoglobulin and was a more efficient chaperone at higher pH values....

Human lens proteins were digested with trypsin or V8 protease, and the resulting peptides resolved on a C18 reverse phase column. Fractions from this column were probed with polyclonal antiserum made against the whole alpha crystallin molecule. Peptides in the seropositive fraction were purified to homogeneity, then characterized by mass spectral analysis and partial Edman degradation. The tryp...

PURPOSE Cataracts are a major cause of blindness worldwide. A potential mechanism for loss of visual acuity may be due to light scattering from disruption of normal protein-protein interactions. During aging, the lens accumulates extensively deamidated crystallins. We have previously reported that deamidation in the betaA3-crystallin (betaA3) dimer decreased the stability of the dimer in vitro....

The amount of light scattered by normal donor lenses (n = 15, ages 43-82 years) from a 1 x 0.1 mm white slit beam was measured as a function of depth in the lens for seven angles from 10 to 165 degrees, and for four wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm. Apart from the most superficial layers, the data could be described with a model that consisted of three components. (1) small sized protein particle...

The use of microscope laser light-scattering spectroscopy allows for the measurement of dynamic properties of intracellular particles inside single fiber cells at different locations in the intact chicken embryo lens. Profiles of the diffusive properties of the delta-crystallin proteins across the lens are reported for developing chickens from day 5 to day 37. A clear decrease of the diffusion ...

The solution structure of murine gammaS-crystallin (gammaS) has been determined by multidimensional triple resonance NMR spectroscopy, using restraints derived from two sets of dipolar couplings, recorded in different alignment media, and supplemented by a small number of NOE distance restraints. gammaS consists of two topologically similar domains, arranged with an approximate twofold symmetry...

Water proton relaxation studies were performed on total soluble protein (TSP) solutions and individual alpha-, beta-, and gamma-crystallin fractions derived from weanling rat lenses, 16 month, and 60- to 70-year-old normal human lenses. The effects of perturbants (temperature and acrylamide) were monitored in order to delineate further the mechanisms involved in the generation of the cold catar...

Lens development is an excellent model for genetic and biochemical studies of embryonic induction, cell cycle regulation, cellular differentiation and signal transduction. Differentiation of lens is characterized by lens-preferred expression and accumulation of water-soluble proteins, crystallins. Crystallins are required for light transparency, refraction and maintenance of lens integrity. Her...