Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Mouse Eye Enucleation for Remote High-throughput Phenotyping
Published on: November 19, 2011
Disruption of alpha3 connexin gene leads to proteolysis and cataractogenesis in mice
1Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
Abstract:
Gap junction channels formed by alpha3 (Cx46) and alpha8 (Cx50) connexin provide pathways for communication between the fiber cells in the normal transparent lens. To determine the specific role of alpha3 connexin in vivo, the alpha3 connexin gene was disrupted in mice. Although the absence of alpha3 connexin had no obvious influence on the early stages of lens formation and the differentiation of lens fibers, mice homozygous for the disrupted alpha3 gene developed nuclear cataracts that were associated with the proteolysis of crystallins. This study establishes the importance of gap junctions in maintaining normal lens transparency by providing a cell-cell signaling pathway or structural component for the proper organization of lens membrane and cytoplasmic proteins.
Related Concept Videos
Epistasis
Pleiotropy
In-vitro Mutagenesis
Lethal Alleles
Lucien Cuénot discovered lethal alleles in 1905 while studying the inheritance of coat color in mice. The agouti gene is responsible for the color of the coat in mice. This gene codes for an agouti-signaling protein, which is responsible for melanin distribution in mammals. The wild-type allele gives rise to gray-brown coat color in mice, while the mutant allele gives rise to yellow coat color. In addition to coat color, the agouti gene is associated with the yellow...
Epistasis Analysis

