Raised intracellular free calcium within the lens causes opacification and cellular uncoupling in the frog.
Ion-sensitive micro-electrodes were used to measure the levels of intracellular free Ca2+ within the intact amphibian lens. The free [Ca2+] was found to constitute 0.4% of the total lens calcium. The pCa measured at the anterior lens surface was found to 6.59, while that at the posterior was 5.70. An 8-fold anterior/posterior Ca2+ gradient thus exists along the optical axis. The intracellular free Ca2+ could be manipulated by incubating the lens in high-Ca2+ or cA2+-free EGTA Ringer solutions. Raising the intracellular free Ca2+ to 0.22 mM caused lens opacification and cellular uncoupling; the coupling ratio was reduced from 1 in control to 0.41 in high Ca2+.
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002386:Cataract / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D008564:Membrane Potentials; D008839:Microelectrodes; D011894:Rana pipiens
D002118:Calcium