title: The molecular mechanisms underlying lens fiber elongation.
abstract: Lens fiber cells are highly elongated cells with complex membrane morphologies that are critical for the transparency of the ocular lens. Investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying lens fiber cell elongation were first reported in the 1960s, however, our understanding of the process is still poor nearly 50 years later. This review summarizes what is currently hypothesized about the regulation of lens fiber cell elongation along with the available experimental evidence, and how this information relates to what is known about the regulation of cell shape/elongation in other cell types, particularly neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
authors.forename: Dylan S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Audette
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Scheiblin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA. Electronic address: duncanm@udel.edu.
authors.forename: Melinda K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000502:physiology*; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology; D009024:Morphogenesis; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D014404:Tubulin
keywords: Actin; Cell shape; Cytoskeleton; Differentiation; Tubulin