The eye of a cephalopod is well-known example convergent evolution and resembles the vertebrate eye. Although cephalopods vertebrates exhibit similar form function, they differ in visual origin structure. common long-arm octopus ( Octopus minor ) good model system evolutionary developmental studies due to its highly centralized nervous system, shorter life cycle, specific camera-type eyes that ...

PURPOSE During an ethylnitrosourea (ENU) mutagenesis screening, mice were tested for the occurrence of dominant cataracts. The purpose of the study was morphologic description, mapping of the mutant gene, and characterization of the underlying molecular lesion in a particular mutant, Aey7. METHODS Isolated lenses were photographed and histologic sections of the eye were analyzed according to ...

In addition to a family of structurally related proteins encoded by the Granule lattice (GRL) genes, the dense core granules in Tetrahymena thermophila contain a second, more heterogeneous family of proteins that can be defined by the presence of a domain homologous to beta/gamma-crystallins. The founding members of the family, Induced during Granule Regeneration 1 (IGR1) and Granule Tip 1 (GRT...

PURPOSE Changes in lens protein expression during zebrafish development results in a smooth gradient of refractive index necessary for excellent optical function. Age-related changes in crystallin expression have been well documented in mammals but are poorly understood in the zebrafish. METHODS In the zebrafish lens, a systematic analysis of protein content with age was performed using size ...

Several human cataracts have been linked to mutations in the gamma crystallin gene. One of these is the aculeiform cataract, which is caused by an R58H mutation in gammaD crystallin. We have shown previously that this cataract is caused by crystallization of the mutant protein, which is an order of magnitude less soluble than the wild-type. Here, we report the very high-resolution crystal struc...

Timolol is a non-selective beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist administered for treating glaucoma, heart attacks and hypertension. In the present study, we set out to determine whether or not timolol can provoke cataract formation, thus the influence of timolol on the amyloid-type aggregation of crystallin was investigated. We then provided experimental evidence of crystallin aggregation and it...