A Raman study of disulfide and sulfhydryl in the Emory mouse cataract

Emory mice (EM) are genetically predisposed to late-onset cataract formation. Our early work has shown UV-exposure slightly enhanced the expected 2 SH----SS conversion of normal mouse lenses only in the cortical regions. There was essentially no difference in the disulfide profiles of the nuclear region between UV-exposed and control lenses. Since the first noticeable change in the Emory mouse is a hazy nucleus when a lens is examined in vitro, we wondered if cataractogenesis in this model is different from the UV-produced cataract. This question was answered by comparing the visual axis profiles for SH and SS in early EM cataracts and in clear lenses from age-matched controls. The sulfhydryl profiles show that the SH level of 8.5-month-old EM lenses is essentially the same as that of the controls. Likewise, the disulfide profiles show no significant difference. The results clearly demonstrate that EM lenses do not undergo accelerated disulfide production. Therefore for the EM lens, the early stage of cataract formation must involve factors other than just accelerated oxidation of protein SH or glutathione SH. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 29:823-826, 1988