PURPOSE Ras farnesyltransferase inhibitors are known to block the membrane translocalization of oncogenic Ras protein. They inhibit the cytoplasmic mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade related to Ras protein. Thus far, Ras farnesyltransferase inhibitors have been exclusively regarded with the anticancer drugs. The object of this study was to elucidate the role of Ras farnesyltrans...

PURPOSE To study the binding characteristics and the expression of platelet-activating factor receptors (PAF-R) in corneal epithelium to elucidate the site of action of PAF. METHODS Binding of [3H]PAF was investigated in subcellular fractions of the epithelia of bovine corneas and in membranes from cultured rabbit corneal epithelial cells. Dose-response inhibition curves of [3H]PAF-specific b...

Acanthamoeba keratitis is a sight-threatening corneal infection. In a recent study, the saccharide mannose has been shown to inhibit the binding of Acanthamoeba organisms to the epithelium of the cornea (L. D. Morton, G. L. McLaughlin, and H. E. Whiteley, Infect. Immun. 59:3819-3822, 1991). In an attempt to determine the molecular mechanism by which acanthamoebae adhere to the surface of the co...

Corneal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa perforates the cornea in susceptible C57BL/6 (B6), but not resistant BALB/c, mice. To determine whether vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) played a role in development of the resistant response, protein expression levels were tested by immunocytochemistry and enzyme immunoassay in BALB/c and B6 corneas. Both mouse strains showed constitutive expres...

PURPOSE Transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta) stimulates the differentiation of myofibroblasts as indicated by the nascent expression of alpha-smooth muscle (alpha-SM) actin protein and its organization into stress fibers. Downstream messengers of TGF-beta in the conversion from the fibroblast to the myofibroblast phenotype were investigated. Whether TGF-beta increases the transcription o...

PURPOSE To screen a cohort of corneal dystrophy patients from North India for mutations in the transforming growth factor beta induced (TGFBI) gene, to correlate genotypes to phenotypes, to describe structural implications of various mutations on protein function, and to discuss the implications for diagnosis. METHODS Eighty affected individuals from 61 unrelated families, who were diagnosed ...

We have constructed an ALDH3a1 null mouse to investigate the role of this enzyme that comprises nearly one-half of the total water-soluble protein in the mouse corneal epithelium. ALDH3a1-deficient mice are viable and fertile, have a corneal epithelium with a water-soluble protein content approximately half that of wild-type mice, and contain no ALDH3a1 as determined by zymograms and immunoblot...

Cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive metabolic disorder in which non-protein cystine accumulates within cellular lysosomes owing to a defect in lysosomal cystine transport. The pathognomonic ocular manifestation of cystinosis is the deposition of distinctive iridescent crystals in the cornea, not associated with any inflammatory response or recognised change in corneal function. We measured...