Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026

A Phenotyping Regimen for Genetically Modified Mice Used to Study Genes Implicated in Human Diseases of Aging
Published on: July 14, 2016
Molecular genetics of age-related cataract
J Fielding Hejtmancik1, Marc Kantorow
1Ophthalmic Genetics and Visual Function Branch, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Advances in molecular biological and genetic technology have greatly accelerated elucidation of the genetic contribution to age-related cataract. Epidemiological studies have documented tendencies for cataracts to occur more frequently in relatives of cataract patients than in the general population, genetic studies have demonstrated contributory roles of some specific genes in age related cataract in small populations, and molecular studies have shown changes in expression of specific genes in cataractous lenses. Together, these studies are beginning to provide a conceptual framework for understanding age-related cataracts.
Related Concept Videos
Genetic Lingo
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
Meiosis II
The timing and cell division patterns of meiosis differ between males and females. In male meiosis, the centrosomes are part of the formation of the meiotic spindle. However, in oocytes, including that of humans, Drosophila,...
Incomplete Dominance
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Nondisjunction
