Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To investigate the ability of the bovine lens capsule to induce lens protein expression in non–lens cell lines and the modulation of this expression by treatment with the protein kinase C inhibitor staurosporine and its correlation with cell survival. Methods:A range of cell lines (human and bovine lens epithelial cells, human adrenal carcinoma cells, human breast epithelial cells, human astrocytes, rat dermal stem cells, human embryonic teratocarcinoma cells) were grown on the bovine lens capsule and exposed to staurosporine at a concentration of 500nM for 48h.Protein and RNA samples were taken and analysed by immunoblotting and RT–PCR to assess the expression of a range of lens–associated proteins (crystallins,growth factors, transcription factors). Results:Cell culture on the bovine lens capsule resulted in increased expression levels of lens–associated proteins, such as alphaA–crystallin and alphaB–crystallin in both lens epithelial cell lines and a number of non–lens epithelial cell lines (adrenocarcinoma cell lines and astrocytes). The lens capsule has been shown to inhibit apoptosis induced by staurosporine and as a way to understand the details of this protection , we have correlated cell expression patterns with survival to identify key survival factors. Conclusions:The bovine lens capsule induces protein expression in both lens and non–lens cell lines. This induction affects lens–specific crystallins (alphaA, alphaB–crystallin), growth factors (IGF, FGF) and their activators and transcription factors (Pax–6, FoxE3). Cell survival correlates with the expression of HSP27 in adrenocarcinoma cell lines and the expression of IGF and MMP–2 in lens epithelial cells.
Keywords: extracellular matrix • chaperones • apoptosis/cell death