Interaction between Connexin50 and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling in lens homeostasis

Loss of fiber cell communication may contribute to the development of cataracts of many different etiologies

The lens is an avascular organ that is supported by an internal circulation of water and solutes. This circulation is driven by ion pumps, channels and transporters in epithelial cells and by ion channels in fiber cells and is maintained by fiber-fiber and fiber-epithelial cell communication. Gap junctional intercellular channels formed of connexin46 and connexin50 are critical components of this circulation as demonstrated by studies of connexin null mice and connexin mutant mice. Moreover, connexin mutants are one of the most common causes of autosomal dominant congenital cataracts. However, alterations of the lens circulation and coupling between lens fiber cells are much more prevalent, beyond the connexin mutant lenses. Intercellular coupling and levels of connexins are decreased with aging. Gap junction-mediated intercellular communication decreases in mice expressing mutant forms of several different lens proteins and in some mouse models of lens protein damage. These observations suggest that disruption of ionic homeostasis due to reduction of the lens circulation is a common component of the development of many different types of cataracts. The decrease in the lens circulation often reflects low levels of lens fiber cell connexins and/or functional gap junction channels.

Double Deletion of PI3K and PTEN Modifies Lens Postnatal Growth and Homeostasis

We have previously shown that the conditional deletion of either the p110α catalytic subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), or its opposing phosphatase, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), had distinct effects on lens growth and homeostasis. The deletion of p110α reduced the levels of phosphorylated Akt and equatorial epithelial cell proliferation, and resulted in smaller transparent lenses in adult mice. The deletion of PTEN increased levels of phosphorylated Akt, altered lens sodium transport, and caused lens rupture and cataract. Here, we have generated conditional p110α/PTEN double-knockout mice, and evaluated epithelial cell proliferation and lens homeostasis. The double deletion of p110α and PTEN rescued the defect in lens size seen after the single knockout of p110α, but accelerated the lens rupture phenotype seen in PTEN single-knockout mice. Levels of phosphorylated Akt in double-knockout lenses were significantly higher than in wild-type lenses, but not as elevated as those reported for PTEN single-knockout lenses. These results showed that the double deletion of the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3K and its opposing phosphatase, PTEN, exacerbated the rupture defect seen in the single PTEN knockout and alleviated the growth defect observed in the single p110α knockout. Thus, the integrity of the PI3K signaling pathway was absolutely essential for proper lens homeostasis, but not for lens growth.

Physiological Mechanisms Regulating Lens Transport

The transparency and refractive properties of the lens are maintained by the cellular physiology provided by an internal microcirculation system that utilizes spatial differences in ion channels, transporters and gap junctions to establish standing electrochemical and hydrostatic pressure gradients that drive the transport of ions, water and nutrients through this avascular tissue. Aging has negative effects on lens transport, degrading ion and water homeostasis, and producing changes in lens water content. This alters the properties of the lens, causing changes in optical quality and accommodative amplitude that initially result in presbyopia in middle age and ultimately manifest as cataract in the elderly. Recent advances have highlighted that the lens hydrostatic pressure gradient responds to tension transmitted to the lens through the Zonules of Zinn through a mechanism utilizing mechanosensitive channels, multiple sodium transporters respond to changes in hydrostatic pressure to restore equilibrium, and that connexin hemichannels and diverse intracellular signaling cascades play a critical role in these responses. The mechanistic insight gained from these studies has advanced our understanding of lens transport and how it responds and adapts to different inputs both from within the lens, and from surrounding ocular structures.

Eph-ephrin Signaling Affects Eye Lens Fiber Cell Intracellular Voltage and Membrane Conductance

The avascular eye lens generates its own microcirculation that is required for maintaining lifelong lens transparency. The microcirculation relies on sodium ion flux, an extensive network of gap junction (GJ) plaques between lens fiber cells and transmembrane water channels. Disruption of connexin proteins, the building blocks of GJs, or aquaporins, which make up water and adhesion channels, lead to lens opacification or cataracts. Recent studies have revealed that disruption of Eph-ephrin signaling, in particular the receptor EphA2 and the ligand ephrin-A5, in humans and mice lead to congenital and age-related cataracts. We investigated whether changes in lens transparency in EphA2 or ephrin-A5 knockout (^–/–) mice is related to changes in GJ coupling and lens fluid and ion homeostasis. Immunostaining revealed changes in connexin 50 (Cx50) subcellular localization in EphA2^–/– peripheral lens fibers and alteration in aquaporin 0 (Aqp0) staining patterns in ephrin-A5^–/– and EphA2^–/– inner mature fiber cells. Surprisingly, there was no obvious change in GJ coupling in knockout lenses. However, there were changes in fiber cell membrane conductance and intracellular voltage in knockout lenses from 3-month-old mice. These knockout lenses displayed decreased conductance of mature fiber membranes and were hyperpolarized compared to control lenses. This is the first demonstration that the membrane conductance of lens fibers can be regulated. Together these data suggest that EphA2 may be needed for normal Cx50 localization to the cell membrane and that conductance of lens fiber cells requires normal Eph-ephrin signaling and water channel localization.

Cell transdifferentiation in ocular disease: Potential role for connexin channels

Cell transdifferentiation is the conversion of a cell type to another without requiring passage through a pluripotent cell state, and encompasses epithelial- and endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT and EndMT). EMT and EndMT are well defined processes characterized by a loss of epithelial/endothelial phenotype and gain in mesenchymal spindle shaped morphology, which results in increased cell migration and decreased apoptosis and cellular senescence. Such cells often develop invasive properties. Physiologically, these processes may occur during embryonic development and can resurface, for example, to promote wound healing in later life. However, they can also be a pathological process. In the eye, EMT, EndMT and cell transdifferentiation have all been implicated in development, homeostasis, and multiple diseases affecting different parts of the eye. Connexins, constituents of connexin hemichannels and intercellular gap junctions, have been implicated in many of these processes. In this review, we firstly provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms induced by transdifferentiation (including EMT and EndMT) and its involvement in eye diseases. We then review the literature for the role of connexins in transdifferentiation in the eye and eye diseases. The evidence presented in this review supports the need for more studies into the therapeutic potential for connexin modulators in prevention and treatment of transdifferentiation related eye diseases, but does indicate that connexin channel modulation may be an upstream and unifying approach for regulating these otherwise complex processes.

Connexin 50-R205G Mutation Perturbs Lens Epithelial Cell Proliferation and Differentiation

Purpose

To investigate the underlying mechanisms for how the mouse Cx50-R205G point mutation, a homologue of the human Cx50-R198W mutation that is linked to cataract-microcornea syndrome, affects proper lens growth and fiber cell differentiation to lead to severe lens phenotypes.

Methods

EdU labeling, immunostaining, confocal imaging analysis, and primary lens epithelial cell culture were performed to characterize the lens epithelial cell (LEC) proliferation and fiber cell differentiation in wild-type and Cx50-R205G mutant lenses in vivo and in vitro.

Results

The Cx50-R205G mutation severely disrupts the lens size and transparency. Heterozygous and homozygous Cx50-R205G mutant and Cx50 knockout lenses all show decreased central epithelium proliferation while only the homozygous Cx50-R205G mutant lenses display obviously decreased proliferating LECs in the germinative zone of neonatal lenses. Cultured Cx50-R205G lens epithelial cells reveal predominantly reduced Cx50 gap junction staining but no change of the endoplasmic reticulum stress marker BiP. The heterozygous Cx50-R205G lens fibers show moderately disrupted Cx50 and Cx46 gap junctions while the homozygous Cx50-R205G lens fibers have drastically reduced Cx50 and Cx46 gap junctions with severely altered fiber cell shape in vivo.

Conclusions

The Cx50-R205G mutation inhibits both central and equatorial lens epithelial cell proliferation to cause small lenses. This mutation also disrupts the assembly and functions of both Cx50 and Cx46 gap junctions in lens fibers to alter fiber cell differentiation and shape to lead to severe lens phenotypes.

A Novel Cx50 Insert Mutation from a Chinese Congenital Cataract Family Impairs Its Cellular Membrane Localization and Function

Mutations in GJA8 are associated with hereditary autosomal dominant and recessive cataract formation. In this study, a novel insert mutation in GJA8 was identified in a Chinese congenital cataract family and cosegregated with the disease in this pedigree. This insert mutation introduces five additional amino acid residues YAVHY after histidine at the 95 site (p.H95_A96insYAVHY) within the second transmembrane (TM2) domain of Cx50 protein (Cx50-insert). Ectopic expression of Cx50-insert protein impairs the hemichannel functions and gap junction activity compared to wild-type Cx50 protein in human lens epithelial cells. Cx50-insert proteins were mislocated from cytoplasmic membrane to endoplasmic reticulum and lysosome. In mouse lens tissue, our results showed that Cx50 predominant expresses in epithelial cells and fiber cells at the transition zone of lens hinting its roles in lens differentiation. Taken together, these data suggest that the novel insert mutation in the TM2 domain of Cx50 protein, which impairs its trafficking to the cell membrane and gap-junction function, is associated with the cataract formation in this Chinese pedigree.

Targeted deletion of RIC8A in mouse neural precursor cells interferes with the development of the brain, eyes, and muscles

Autosomal recessive disorders such as Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy, Walker-Warburg syndrome, and the muscle-eye-brain disease are characterized by defects in the development of patient's brain, eyes, and skeletal muscles. These syndromes are accompanied by brain malformations like type II lissencephaly in the cerebral cortex with characteristic overmigrations of neurons through the breaches of the pial basement membrane. The signaling pathways activated by laminin receptors, dystroglycan and integrins, control the integrity of the basement membrane, and their malfunctioning may underlie the pathologies found in the rise of defects reminiscent of these syndromes. Similar defects in corticogenesis and neuromuscular disorders were found in mice when RIC8A was specifically removed from neural precursor cells. RIC8A regulates a subset of G-protein α subunits and in several model organisms, it has been reported to participate in the control of cell division, signaling, and migration. Here, we studied the role of RIC8A in the development of the brain, muscles, and eyes of the neural precursor-specific conditional Ric8a knockout mice. The absence of RIC8A severely affected the attachment and positioning of radial glial processes, Cajal-Retzius' cells, and the arachnoid trabeculae, and these mice displayed additional defects in the lens, skeletal muscles, and heart development. All the discovered defects might be linked to aberrancies in cell adhesion and migration, suggesting that RIC8A has a crucial role in the regulation of cell-extracellular matrix interactions and that its removal leads to the phenotype characteristic to type II lissencephaly-associated diseases. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 78: 374-390, 2018.

The role and therapeutic potential of melatonin in age-related ocular diseases

The eye is continuously exposed to solar UV radiation and pollutants, making it prone to oxidative attacks. In fact, oxidative damage is a major cause of age-related ocular diseases including cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. As the nature of lens cells, trabecular meshwork cells, retinal ganglion cells, retinal pigment epithelial cells, and photoreceptors is postmitotic, autophagy plays a critical role in their cellular homeostasis. In age-related ocular diseases, this process is impaired, and thus, oxidative damage becomes irreversible. Other conditions such as low-grade chronic inflammation and angiogenesis also contribute to the development of retinal diseases (glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy). As melatonin is known to have remarkable qualities such as antioxidant/antinitridergic, mitochondrial protector, autophagy modulator, anti-inflammatory, and anti-angiogenic, it can represent a powerful tool to counteract all these diseases. The present review analyzes the role and therapeutic potential of melatonin in age-related ocular diseases, focusing on nitro-oxidative stress, autophagy, inflammation, and angiogenesis mechanisms.

Connexin 50 Regulates Surface Ball-and-Socket Structures and Fiber Cell Organization

Purpose

The roles of gap junction protein connexin 50 (Cx50) encoded by Gja8, during lens development are not fully understood. Connexin 50 knockout (KO) lenses have decreased proliferation of epithelial cells and altered fiber cell denucleation. We further investigated the mechanism for cellular defects in Cx50 KO (Gja8^−/−) lenses.

Methods

Fiber cell morphology and subcellular distribution of various lens membrane/cytoskeleton proteins from wild-type and Cx50 KO mice were visualized by immunofluorescent staining and confocal microscopy.

Results

We observed multiple morphological defects in the cortical fibers of Cx50 KO lenses, including abnormal fiber cell packing geometry, decreased F-actin enrichment at tricellular vertices, and disrupted ball-and-socket (BS) structures on the long sides of hexagonal fibers. Moreover, only small gap junction plaques consisting of Cx46 (α3 connexin) were detected in cortical fibers and the distributions of the BS-associated beta-dystroglycan and ZO-1 proteins were altered.

Conclusions

Connexin 50 gap junctions are important for BS structure maturation and cortical fiber cell organization. Connexin 50–based gap junction plaques likely form structural domains with an array of membrane/cytoskeletal proteins to stabilize BS. Loss of Cx50-mediated coupling, BS disruption, and altered F-actin in Cx50 KO fibers, thereby contribute to the small lens and mild cataract phenotypes.

The Phosphoinosotide 3-Kinase Catalytic Subunit p110α is Required for Normal Lens Growth

Purpose

Signal transduction pathways influence lens growth, but little is known about the role(s) of the class 1A phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks). To further investigate how signaling regulates lens growth, we generated and characterized mice in which the p110α and p110β catalytic subunits of PI3K were conditionally deleted in the mouse lens.

Methods

Floxed alleles of the catalytic subunits of PI3K were conditionally deleted in the lens by using MLR10-cre transgenic mice. Lenses of age-matched animals were dissected and photographed. Postnatal lenses were fixed, paraffin embedded, sectioned, and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Cell proliferation was quantified by labeling S-phase cells in intact lenses with 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine. Protein kinase B (AKT) activation was examined by Western blotting.

Results

Lens-specific deletion of p110α resulted in a significant reduction of eye and lens size, without compromising lens clarity. Conditional knockout of p110β had no effect on lens size or clarity, and deletion of both the p110α and p110β subunits resulted in a phenotype that resembled the p110α single-knockout phenotype. Levels of activated AKT were decreased more in p110α- than in p110β-deficient lenses. A significant reduction in proliferating cells in the germinative zone was observed on postnatal day 0 in p110α knockout mice, which was temporally correlated with decreased lens volume.

Conclusions

These data suggest that the class 1A PI3K signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of lens size by influencing the extent and spatial location of cell proliferation in the perinatal period.

Knock-in of Cx46 partially rescues fiber defects in lenses lacking Cx50

PURPOSE

Connexins 46 (Cx46) and 50 (Cx50) support lens development and homeostasis. Knockout (KO) of Cx50, but not Cx46, causes defects in lens fiber organization, F-actin enrichment, gap junction (GJ) size, ball-and-socket (BS) maturation, and GJ-associated protein distributions. To further determine the unique roles of Cx50 and Cx46, we investigated whether these defects persisted in Cx46 knock-in (Ki) lenses. Ki mice had Cx46 knocked-in to their Cx50 loci, where it was expressed under endogenous Cx50 promoters.

METHODS

Fiber cell morphology and the distribution of lens membrane/cytoskeleton proteins from wild-type (WT), Ki, and Cx50 KO mice were visualized by immunofluorescent labeling and confocal microscopy.

RESULTS

Cx46 Ki partially rescued Cx50 KO lens fiber defects. Three-week-old Ki lens fibers had typical F-actin distributions but were nonuniformly sized and disorganized. The Cx-associated proteins zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and β-dystroglycan (βDys) no longer localized to the nuclei but remained absent from GJs. BS formed, but this occurred with lower than WT frequency. BS appeared with greater frequency in 8-week-old Ki lenses, but so did aberrant balloon-like structures similar to those in Cx50 KO lenses. Unexpectedly, 8-week-old Cx50 KO and Ki cortical lens fibers were no longer disorganized.

CONCLUSIONS

Cx identity is important for some aspects of fiber development (organization, Cx association with ZO-1 and βDys) but not others (F-actin enrichment). Either Cx supports BS maturation, but the sparsity of BS and presence of balloon-like structures in Ki lenses suggest that Cx50 is more capable of doing so. The partial rescue of BS structures may support the rapid growth of cortical fibers to the improved growth of Ki lenses compared to Cx50 KO lenses at young ages. Neither absence of Cx50 nor presence of Ki Cx46 affects cortical fiber cell organization by the age of 8 weeks.

Focus on lens connexins

The lens is an avascular organ composed of an anterior epithelial cell layer and fiber cells that form the bulk of the organ. The lens expresses connexin43 (Cx43), connexin46 (Cx46) and connexin50 (Cx50). Epithelial Cx50 has critical roles in cell proliferation and differentiation, likely involving growth factor-dependent signaling pathways. Both Cx46 and Cx50 are crucial for lens transparency; mutations in their genes have been linked to congenital and age-related cataracts. Congenital cataract-associated connexin mutants can affect protein trafficking, stability and/or function, and the functional effects may differ between gap junction channels and hemichannels. Dominantly inherited cataracts may result from effects of the connexin mutant on its wild type isotype, the other co-expressed wild type connexin and/or its interaction with other cellular components.

Regulation of gap junction channels and hemichannels by phosphorylation and redox changes: a revision

Post-translational modifications of connexins play an important role in the regulation of gap junction and hemichannel permeability. The prerequisite for the formation of functional gap junction channels is the assembly of connexin proteins into hemichannels and their insertion into the membrane. Hemichannels can affect cellular processes by enabling the passage of signaling molecules between the intracellular and extracellular space. For the intercellular communication hemichannels from one cell have to dock to its counterparts on the opposing membrane of an adjacent cell to allow the transmission of signals via gap junctions from one cell to the other. The controlled opening of hemichannels and gating properties of complete gap junctions can be regulated via post-translational modifications of connexins. Not only channel gating, but also connexin trafficking and assembly into hemichannels can be affected by post-translational changes. Recent investigations have shown that connexins can be modified by phosphorylation/dephosphorylation, redox-related changes including effects of nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) or carbon monoxide (CO), acetylation, methylation or ubiquitination. Most of the connexin isoforms are known to be phosphorylated, e.g. Cx43, one of the most studied connexin at all, has 21 reported phosphorylation sites. In this review, we provide an overview about the current knowledge and relevant research of responsible kinases, connexin phosphorylation sites and reported effects on gap junction and hemichannel regulation. Regarding the effects of oxidants we discuss the role of NO in different cell types and tissues and recent studies about modifications of connexins by CO and H2S.

Complementary expression and phosphorylation of Cx46 and Cx50 during development and following gene deletion in mouse and in normal and orchitic mink testes

Gap junction-mediated communication helps synchronize interconnected Sertoli cell activities. Besides, coordination of germ cell and Sertoli cell activities depends on gap junction-mediated Sertoli cell-germ cell communication. This report assesses mechanisms underlying the regulation of connexin 46 (Cx46) and Cx50 in mouse testis and those accompanying a "natural" seasonal and a pathological arrest of spermatogenesis, resulting from autoimmune orchitis (AIO) in mink. Furthermore, the impact of deleting Cx46 or Cx50 on the expression, phosphorylation of junction proteins, and spermatogenesis is evaluated. Cx46 mRNA and protein expression increased, whereas Cx50 decreased with adulthood in normal mice and mink. Cx46 mRNA and protein expression increased, whereas Cx50 decreased with adulthood in normal mice and mink. During the mink active spermatogenic phase, Cx50 became phosphorylated and localized to the site of the blood-testis barrier. By contrast, Cx46 was dephosphorylated and associated with annular junctions, suggesting phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of Cx46 and Cx50 involvement in the barrier dynamics. Cx46-positive annular junctions in contact with lipid droplets were found. Cx46 and Cx50 expression and localization were altered in mink with AIO. The deletion of Cx46 or Cx50 impacted on other connexin expression and phosphorylation and differently affected tight and adhering junction protein expression. The level of apoptosis, determined by ELISA, and a number of Apostain-labeled spermatocytes and spermatids/tubules were higher in mice lacking Cx46 (Cx46-/-) than wild-type and Cx50-/- mice, arguing for life-sustaining Cx46 gap junction-mediated exchanges in late-stage germ cells secluded from the blood by the barrier. The data show that expression and phosphorylation of Cx46 and Cx50 are complementary in seminiferous tubules.

Differential regulation of Connexin50 and Connexin46 by PI3K signaling

Gap junction channels can modify their activity in response to cell signaling pathways. Here, we demonstrate that Connexin50 (Cx50) coupling, but not Connexin46 (Cx46), increased when co-expressed with a constitutively active p110α subunit of PI3K in Xenopus oocytes. In addition, inhibition of PI3K signaling by blocking p110α, or Akt, significantly decreased gap junctional conductance in Cx50 transfected HeLa cells, with no effect on Cx46. Alterations in coupling levels were not a result of reduced Cx50 unitary conductance, suggesting that changes in the number of active channels were responsible. These data indicate that Cx50 is specifically regulated by the PI3K signaling pathway.

Roles and regulation of lens epithelial cell connexins

The avascular lens of the eye is covered anteriorly by an epithelium containing nucleated, metabolically active cells. This epithelium contains the first lens cells to encounter noxious external stimuli and cells that can develop compensatory or protective responses. Lens epithelial cells express the gap junction proteins, connexin43 (Cx43) and connexin50 (Cx50). Cx43 and Cx50 form gap junction channels and hemichannels with different properties. Although they may form heteromeric hemichannels, Cx43 and Cx50 probably do not form heterotypic channels in the lens. Cx50 channels make their greatest contribution to intercellular communication during the early postnatal period; subsequently, Cx43 becomes the predominant connexin supporting intercellular communication. Although epithelial Cx43 appears dispensable for lens development, Cx50 is critical for epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Cx43 and Cx50 hemichannels and gap junction channels are regulated by multiple different agents. Lens epithelial cell connexins contribute to both normal lens physiology and pathology.

AKT activation promotes PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome-associated cataract development

Mutations in the human phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene cause PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS), which includes cataract development among its diverse clinical pathologies. Currently, it is not known whether cataract formation in PHTS patients is secondary to other systemic problems, or the result of the loss of a critical function of PTEN within the lens. We generated a mouse line with a lens-specific deletion of Pten (PTEN KO) and identified a regulatory function for PTEN in lens ion transport. Specific loss of PTEN in the lens resulted in cataract. PTEN KO lenses exhibited a progressive age-related increase in intracellular hydrostatic pressure, along with, increased intracellular sodium concentrations, and reduced Na+/K+-ATPase activity. Collectively, these defects lead to lens swelling, opacities and ultimately organ rupture. Activation of AKT was highly elevated in PTEN KO lenses compared to WT mice. Additionally, pharmacological inhibition of AKT restored normal Na+/K+-ATPase activity in primary cultured lens cells and reduced lens pressure in intact lenses from PTEN KO animals. These findings identify a direct role for PTEN in the regulation of lens ion transport through an AKT-dependent modulation of Na+/K+-ATPase activity, and provide a new animal model to investigate cataract development in PHTS patients.

MAPK activation in mature cataract associated with Noonan syndrome

Background

Noonan syndrome is an autosomal, dominantly inherited disease; it is physically characterized by short stature, short neck, webbed neck, abnormal auricles, high arched palate, and cardiovascular malformation. Its pathological condition is thought to be due to a gain-of-function mutation in the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signal transduction pathway. Eyelid abnormalities such as ocular hypertelorism and blepharoptosis are the most commonly observed eye complications.

Case presentation

We report a case of Noonan syndrome associated with mature cataract that required operation. A 42-year-old man was diagnosed with Noonan syndrome at the age of 1 year. He underwent an eye examination after complaining of decreased visual acuity in the right eye and was diagnosed with mature cataract, which was treated by cataract surgery. There were no intraoperative complications, and the postoperative course was uneventful. Protein analysis of lens capsule and epithelium at capsulorhexis showed MAPK cascade proteins such as ERK and p38MAPK were upregulated. An abnormality in the PTPN11 gene was also observed; a potential mechanism of cataract onset may be that opacity of the lens rapidly progressed due to abnormal activation of the Ras-MAPK signal transduction pathway.

Conclusion

This case highlights the possible association of cataract formation with MAPK cascade protein upregulation in Noonan syndrome.

Connexin mutants and cataracts

The lens is a multicellular, but avascular tissue that must stay transparent to allow normal transmission of light and focusing of it on the retina. Damage to lens cells and/or proteins can cause cataracts, opacities that disrupt these processes. The normal survival of the lens is facilitated by an extensive network of gap junctions formed predominantly of connexin46 and connexin50. Mutations of the genes that encode these connexins (GJA3 and GJA8) have been identified and linked to inheritance of cataracts in human families and mouse lines. In vitro expression studies of several of these mutants have shown that they exhibit abnormalities that may lead to disease. Many of the mutants reduce or modify intercellular communication due to channel alterations (including loss of function or altered gating) or due to impaired cellular trafficking which reduces the number of gap junction channels within the plasma membrane. However, the abnormalities detected in studies of other mutants suggest that they cause cataracts through other mechanisms including gain of hemichannel function (leading to cell injury and death) and formation of cytoplasmic accumulations (that may act as light scattering particles). These observations and the anticipated results of ongoing studies should elucidate the mechanisms of cataract development due to mutations of lens connexins and abnormalities of other lens proteins. They may also contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of disease due to connexin mutations in other tissues.

Proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis of human lens fiber cell membranes

PURPOSE

The human lens fiber cell insoluble membrane fraction contains important membrane proteins, cytoskeletal proteins, and cytosolic proteins that are strongly associated with the membrane. The purpose of this study was to characterize the lens fiber cell membrane proteome and phosphoproteome from human lenses.

METHODS

HPLC-mass spectrometry-based multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT), without or with phosphopeptide enrichment, was applied to study the proteome and phosphoproteome of lens fiber cell membranes, respectively.

RESULTS

In total, 951 proteins were identified, including 379 integral membrane and membrane-associated proteins. Enriched gene categories and pathways based on the proteomic analysis include carbohydrate metabolism (glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, pyruvate metabolism), proteasome, cell-cell signaling and communication (GTP binding, gap junction, focal adhesion), glutathione metabolism, and actin regulation. The combination of TiO(2) phosphopeptide enrichment and MudPIT analysis revealed 855 phosphorylation sites on 271 proteins, including 455 phosphorylation sites that have not been previously identified. PKA, PKC, CKII, p38MAPK, and RSK are predicted as the major kinases for phosphorylation on the sites identified in the human lens membrane fraction.

CONCLUSIONS

The results presented herein significantly expand the characterized proteome and phosphoproteome of the human lens fiber cell and provide a valuable reference for future research in studies of lens development and disease.

Primary cultures of embryonic chick lens cells as a model system to study lens gap junctions and fiber cell differentiation

A major limitation in lens gap junction research has been the lack of experimentally tractable ex vivo systems to study the formation and regulation of fiber-type gap junctions. Although immortalized lens-derived cell lines are amenable to both gene transfection and siRNA-mediated knockdown, to our knowledge none are capable of undergoing appreciable epithelial-to-fiber differentiation. Lens central epithelial explants have the converse limitation. A key advance in the field was the development of a primary embryonic chick lens cell culture system by Drs. Sue Menko and Ross Johnson. Unlike central epithelial explants, these cultures also include cells from the peripheral (preequatorial and equatorial) epithelium, which is the most physiologically relevant population for the study of fiber-type gap junction formation. We have modified the Menko/Johnson system and refer to our cultures as dissociated cell-derived monolayer cultures (DCDMLs). We culture DCDMLs without serum to mimic the avascular lens environment and on laminin, the major matrix component of the lens capsule. Here, I review the features of the DCDML system and how we have used it to study lens gap junctions and fiber cell differentiation. Our results demonstrate the power of DCDMLs to generate new findings germane to the mammalian lens and how these cultures can be exploited to conduct experiments that would be impossible, prohibitively expensive and/or difficult to interpret using transgenic animals in vivo.

A novel mutation in the connexin 50 gene (GJA8) associated with autosomal dominant congenital nuclear cataract in a Chinese family

PURPOSE

To identify the genetic defect in a four-generation Chinese family with autosomal dominant congenital nuclear cataract.

METHODS

Family history data were recorded. Clinical and ophthalmologic examinations were performed on family members. All the members were genotyped with microsatellite markers at loci associated with cataracts. Linkage analysis was performed after genotyping. Candidate genes were screened for mutation using direct sequencing.

RESULTS

Linkage analysis was obtained at markers D1S1653 (LOD score [Z] = 1.50, recombination fraction [theta] = 0.0) and D1S498 (LOD score Z = 0.90, recombination fraction [theta] = 0.0), which encompasses the connexin 50 gene (GJA8). Sequencing the coding regions of GJA8 revealed a novel, heterozygous c.773C > T transition that resulted in the substitution of a highly conserved serine by phenylalanine at codon 258 (S258F). Bioinformatics analysis showed that the mutation altered the hydrophobicity and secondary structure of the protein. This mutation co-segregated with the disease phenotype in all affected individuals and was not found in the unaffected family members or in 100 normal unrelated individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has identified a novel missense mutation located in the carboxyl terminus of GJA8 (S258F) associated with autosomal dominant nuclear cataract.

Connexins: sensors and regulators of cell cycling

It is nowadays well established that gap junctions are critical gatekeepers of cell proliferation, by controlling the intercellular exchange of essential growth regulators. In recent years, however, it has become clear that the picture is not as simple as originally anticipated, as structural precursors of gap junctions can affect cell cycling by performing actions not related to gap junctional intercellular communication. Indeed, connexin hemichannels also foresee a pathway for cell growth communication, albeit between the intracellular compartment and the extracellular environment, while connexin proteins as such can directly or indirectly influence the production of cell cycle regulators independently of their channel activities. Furthermore, a novel set of connexin-like proteins, the pannexins, have lately joined in as regulators of the cell proliferation process, which they can affect as either single units or as channel entities. In the current paper, these multifaceted aspects of connexin-related signalling in cell cycling are reviewed.