title: Autophagy in the lens.
abstract: The lens of the eye is a transparent tissue composed of lens fiber cells that differentiate from lens epithelial cells and degrade all cytoplasmic organelles during terminal differentiation. Autophagy is a major intracellular degradation system in which cytoplasmic proteins and organelles are degraded in the lysosome. Although autophagy is constitutively activated in the lens and has been proposed to be involved in lens organelle degradation, its precise role is not well understood. Recent genetic studies in mice have demonstrated that autophagy is critically important for intracellular quality control in the lens but can be dispensable for lens organelle degradation. Here, we review recent findings on the roles of autophagy and lysosomes in organelle degradation and intracellular quality control in the lens, and discuss their possible involvement in the development of human cataract.
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
authors: Hideaki
authors: H
authors: Morishita
authors: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan. Electronic address: nmizu@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
authors: Noboru
authors: N
authors: Mizushima
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy / Q000502:physiology*; D000071187:Autophagy-Related Protein 5; D002386:Cataract / Q000517:prevention & control; D058546:Class III Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D015388:Organelles / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C502778:ATG5 protein, human; C495773:Atg5 protein, mouse; D000071187:Autophagy-Related Protein 5; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D058546:Class III Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
keywords: Autophagy; Cataract; Intracellular quality control; Lens; Organelle degradation