Publications by authors named "Lucio E Benedetti"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how gap junction channels, made of alpha3 (Cx46) and alpha8 (Cx50) connexin subunits, contribute to lens development and transparency in the eye.
- Researchers created double knockout mice (alpha3(-/-) alpha8(-/-)) to analyze the effects of missing these gap junctions on lens health.
- The findings revealed that without these channels, the lenses developed severe cataracts and lost significant levels of gamma-crystallin proteins, highlighting the critical role of gap junctions in maintaining lens cell stability and function.
The development of the vertebrate lens utilizes a sophisticated cell-cell communication network via gap junction channels, which are made up of at least three connexin isoforms, alpha8 (Cx50), alpha3 (Cx46) and alpha1 (Cx43), and which are encoded by three different genes. In a previous study, we reported that, with a disruption of Gja3 (alpha3 connexin), mice developed nuclear cataracts with a normal sized lens. We show that Gja8tm1 (alpha8-/-) mice develop microphthalmia with small lenses and nuclear cataracts, while the alpha8 heterozygous (+/-) mice have relatively normal eyes and lenses.
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