[The localization of aldose reductase mRNA in the rat lens]

The localization of aldose reductase (AR), which is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of sugar and galactosemic cataracts, has been studied using various methods. The AR exists in the lens and its presence is considered to be important at the site of the cataractogenesis. In this study, the localization of AR messenger RNA (ARmRNA) in the lenses of 3-week old and fetal rats was studied by in situ hybridization using a complementary DNA to the rat AR gene. In the lens of 3-week-old rats, ARmRNA was present in the lens-epithelium and the equatorial superficial cortex. The distribution profile was similar to that of AR-immunoreactivities revealed by an immunocytochemical study. In the fetal lens, however ARmRNA was present in the epithelium and the equatorial region, while AR-immunoreactivity was observed mainly in the center of the lens.