ABSTRACT
This study was designed to investigate the formation of mixed disulfides of protein and glutathione (GSH) in the cataractous lens. We compared the changes in accumulation of 14C-cystine in cultured inherited cataractous rat lens (ICR/f) during cataractogensis with those in Wistar strain rats. The accumulation of 14C-cystine in water insoluble protein (WIP) of the lens was increased, especially in lens recognized cataract. The radioactivity accumulated in the WIP was released by incubation with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), dithiothereitol (DTT) and GSH. The accumulation of 14C-cystine in WIP was inhibited by pretreatment with DTT. The existence of some materials in the lens-which combined with S-S compounds became clear. A large part of the materials is present in WIP which is increased along with the lens opacification. We surmised that the accumulation of 14C-cystine was related to the reaction of protein-glutathione disulfide (PSSG).
Subject(s)
Cataract/genetics , Cataract/metabolism , Cystine/metabolism , Lens, Crystalline/metabolism , Aging/metabolism , Animals , Crystallins/metabolism , Depression, Chemical , Disulfides/metabolism , Dithiothreitol/pharmacology , Glutathione/metabolism , In Vitro Techniques , Male , Protein Binding , Rats , Rats, Inbred Strains , Rats, Wistar , Sulfhydryl Reagents/pharmacologyABSTRACT
The distribution of free amino acids and their related compounds has been determined in the aqueous humors of Wistar strain and Ihara cataract f-strain (ICR) aging rats. Taurine was the most abundant amino acid in aqueous humors except in ICR rats of 16 and 70 weeks. It was supposed that the increase of serine and glutamine, and the decrease of aspartate, proline and glycine in aqueous humors were related to aging. There were interesting changes in amino acids related to opacity of lens, concentration of taurine was lower than that of Wistar rats in ICR rats of 4, 16, and 70 weeks, alanine and citrulline increased in Wistar rats and decreased in ICR rats, and histidine increased in ICR rats with aging. The changes in free amino acids in aqueous humors were the greatest in ICR rats, and these data will provide useful clues for the formation of cataract and the transportation of amino acids.
