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Degradation of vimentin in frozen rat lenses
1Chemistry Department, Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y 11530, USA.
Ophthalmic Research
|January 1, 1996
Abstract:
Rat lenses stored for extended periods at -20 degrees C showed degradation and eventual disappearance of vimentin. This may have been caused by the rupture of cells and/or organelles by growing ice crystals and the subsequent release and diffusion of proteases. Besides the disappearance of vimentin there was also a decrease in the intensity of the beta B1 polypeptide after 3 months storage. The observations reported herein are generally qualitative in nature, but should serve to alert other investigators of a potential problem.