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[Expression of vimentin in lens epithelial cells of age-related cataract]
1Department of Ophthalmology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710032, China.
Objective:
To observe the expression of vimentin in the lens epithelial cells and superficial cortex of age-related cataract.
Methods:
Twenty-six paraformaldehyde-fixed flat preparations of human lens epithelium attached to the anterior capsule and obtained during extracapsular cataract extraction were studied. Of these, 22 were studied and compared to the 10 samples from normal lenses with antibody to vimentin by avidinbiotinylated peroxidase complex (ABC) method and observed with a light microscope, and 6 (4 cataractous and 2 normal) were used for pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy. Vimentin in superficial layers (epithelium and superficial cortex) of 4 cataractous lenses were analysed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and Western blot method.
Results:
The average gray level values for expression of vimentin were 143.84 +/- 8.52 and 134.87 +/- 14.27 in cataract and normal group, respectively (t = 2.0948, P < 0.05). Ultrastructure of epithelial cells showed a decrease of intermediate filaments, accumulation of vimentin in bundle and organelle degeneration. Vimentin was identified in the superficial layers of normal and immature cataractous lenses by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. In another two mature cataractous lenses, little vimentin was detected.
Conclusion:
Decrease of vimentin may be initiated by damage to the epithelial cells leading to degradation of cytoskeleton, and appears to be related with the formation of age-related cataract.
