Yamada Yoshihisa, Willekens Ben, Vrensen Gijs F J M, Wegener Alfred
Lens and Cornea Research Unit, Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Dev Ophthalmol. 2002;35:135-42. doi: 10.1159/000060817.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological characteristics of lens fibers in albino and pigmented rats by scanning electron microscopy. In addition to the ubiquitous interdigitating edge protrusions many ball-and-socket junctions were found on the lateral surfaces of lens fibers in pigmented rats. Notable differences in density, shape and size between superficial and deep cortical layers were observed. Especially, in the intermediate equatorial cortex large ball-and-socket junctions were found. In contrast, only few and small ball-and-socket junctions were observed in albino rats and many ruptures of lens fiber membranes were present in the anterior, superficial and intermediate equatorial cortex. The present observations show that different strains of rats have a different morphology of lens fibers. In view of a postulated role of ball-and-socket junctions in calcium homeostasis in the lens this may account for differences in cataractogenesis between albino and pigmented rats.
本研究的目的是通过扫描电子显微镜研究白化病大鼠和有色大鼠晶状体纤维的形态特征。除了普遍存在的指状边缘突起外，在有色大鼠晶状体纤维的侧面还发现了许多球窝连接。观察到浅皮质层和深皮质层在密度、形状和大小上存在显著差异。特别是，在赤道中间皮质发现了大的球窝连接。相比之下，在白化病大鼠中仅观察到少量且小的球窝连接，并且在赤道前、浅和中间皮质中存在许多晶状体纤维膜破裂。目前的观察结果表明，不同品系的大鼠晶状体纤维形态不同。鉴于球窝连接在晶状体钙稳态中的假定作用，这可能解释了白化病大鼠和有色大鼠在白内障形成方面的差异。
