betaA3/A1-crystallin in astroglial cells regulates retinal vascular remodeling during development.

Vascular remodeling is a complex process critical to development of the mature vascular system. Astrocytes are known to be indispensable for initial formation of the retinal vasculature; our studies with the Nuc1 rat provide novel evidence that these cells are also essential in the retinal vascular remodeling process. Nuc1 is a spontaneous mutation in the Sprague-Dawley rat originally characterized by nuclear cataracts in the heterozygote and microphthalmia in the homozygote.