title: Thioredoxin, thioredoxin reductase, and alpha-crystallin revive inactivated glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase in human aged and cataract lens extracts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether mammalian thioredoxin (Trx) and thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), with or without alpha-crystallin can revive inactivated glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) in both the cortex and nucleus of human aged clear and cataract lenses.
  
  
  METHODS
  The lens cortex (including capsule-epithelium) and the nucleus were separated from human aged clear and cataract lenses (grade II and grade IV) with similar average age. The activity of GAPDH in the water-soluble fraction after incubation with or without Trx or/and TrxR for 60 min at 30 degrees C was measured spectrophotometrically. In addition, the effect of a combination of Trx/TrxR and bovine lens alpha-crystallin was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GAPDH activity was lower in the nucleus of clear lenses than in the cortex, and considerably diminished in the cataractous lenses, particularly in the nucleus of cataract lenses grade IV. Trx and TrxR were able to revive the activity of GAPDH markedly in both the cortex and nucleus of the clear and cataract lenses. The percentage increase of activity in the cortex of the clear lenses was less than that of the nucleus in the presence of Trx and TrxR, whereas it was opposite in the cataract lenses. The revival of activity in both the cortex and nucleus from the cataract lenses grade II was higher than that of the grade IV. Moreover, Trx alone, but not TrxR, efficiently enhanced GAPDH activity. The combination of Trx and TrxR had greater effect than that of either alone. In addition, alpha(L)-crystallin enhanced the activity in the cortex of cataract grade II with Trx and TrxR present. However, it failed to provide a statistically significant increase of activity in the nucleus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first evidence to show that mammalian Trx and TrxR are able to revive inactivated GAPDH in human aged clear and cataract lenses, and alpha-crystallin helped this effect. The inactivation of GAPDH during aging and cataract development must be caused in part by disulphide formation and in part by unfolding, and can be recovered by reducing agents and a molecular chaperone.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, University of Oxford, Walton Street, Oxford, UK. yhongb@fmmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Marjorie F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: M Rohan
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fernando
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Harding
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002386:Cataract / Q000201:enzymology*; D002417:Cattle; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007904:Lens Cortex, Crystalline / Q000201:enzymology; D007907:Lens Nucleus, Crystalline / Q000201:enzymology; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013880:Thioredoxin-Disulfide Reductase / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013879:Thioredoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014020:Tissue Extracts / Q000378:metabolism; D038201:alpha-Crystallins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014020:Tissue Extracts; D038201:alpha-Crystallins; D013879:Thioredoxins; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; D013880:Thioredoxin-Disulfide Reductase