title: Enzyme activities and crystallin profiles of clear and cataractous lenses of the RCS rat.
abstract: Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats have hereditary retinal degeneration in association with posterior subcapsular opacities. Cataract formation is thought to be correlated with an increase in lipid peroxidation products in the vitreous (Zigler and Hess, 1985). In order to examine the possibility that parallel changes in enzyme activity are occurring within the lens, we analysed the activity of four key enzymes and the crystallin protein profile. We compared RCS rat lenses at three different stages of cataract formation to clear lenses of the nonpigmented RCS rat, lenses from pigmented RCS rat and to normal (Fisher) rat. Our data shows that concomitant with the appearance of the RCS cataract, the ratio of the crystallins beta 1, beta H and gamma to the total lens protein was reduced. The crystallin profile of a clear RCS lens was similar to that of a normal (Fisher) lens. No significant difference in the activity of the enzymes hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) was found among the lenses, however the activity of glutathione reductase and aldolase was reduced in the cataractous lenses.
authors.affiliation: Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dovrat
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horwitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000201:enzymology*; D003459:Crystallins / Q000032:analysis*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase / Q000378:metabolism*; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006593:Hexokinase / Q000378:metabolism; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D006593:Hexokinase; D005634:Fructose-Bisphosphate Aldolase