RESUMEN
Objective:To probe the mechanism of inhibition in gap junction-mediated intercellular communication (GJIC) of rabbit lens epithelia cells(RLECs) irradiated by UVA. Methods:RLECs of 2～3 generation were divided into normal control group and ultraviolet irradiation group (The UV intensity was 0.2 mW/cm2 under a UV lamp with fixed position 50 cm, RLECs were exposed to ultraviolet lamp at different times: 5,10,15 minutes). Western blot techniques were employed to detect the protein levels of Cx43 irradiated by UVA. By indirect immunofluorescence histochemistry we analyzed the localization of Cx43 in the RLECs. Results:In UVA irradiation group and normal control group,there was expression of Cx43. With the increasing intensity,the expression of Cx43 was decreasing. The immunnostaining of Cx43 in RLECs revealed that the internalization of Cx43 from membrance to plasma and nuclear was found in UVA irradiated RLECs. Conclusion: Cell molecule level study proved UVA irradiation can reduce GJIC of RLECs,which wis associated with perturbations in localization and number of Cx43 among RLECs.