December 2002
Volume 43, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   December 2002
Intercellular Calcium Signals in Cataractous Lens Epithelium
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • I Kaiserman
    Department of Ophthalmology Hadassah Medical Center Jerusalem Israel
  • D Kraus
    Department of Physiology and the Bernard Katz Minerva Centre for Cell Biophysics Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School Jerusalem Israel
  • A Fendyur
    Department of Physiology and the Bernard Katz Minerva Centre for Cell Biophysics Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School Jerusalem Israel
  • J Frucht-Pery
    Department of Ophthalmology Hadassah Medical Center Jerusalem Israel
  • R Rahamimoff
    Department of Physiology and the Bernard Katz Minerva Centre for Cell Biophysics Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School Jerusalem Israel
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   I. Kaiserman, None; D. Kraus, None; A. Fendyur, None; J. Frucht-Pery, None; R. Rahamimoff, None.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science December 2002, Vol.43, 3538. doi:
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      I Kaiserman, D Kraus, A Fendyur, J Frucht-Pery, R Rahamimoff; Intercellular Calcium Signals in Cataractous Lens Epithelium . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2002;43(13):3538.

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Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: The pathogenesis of cataract is still subject to debate. However, during the last decade several studies have implicated intra-cellular calcium as an important factor in cataractogenesis. The purpose of this study was to characterize inter-cellular calcium signaling in cataractous lens epithelium, impairment of which might be the basis of cataract formation. Methods: We used confocal laser scanning microscopy to monitor (at 100Hz) local intracellular calcium levels in primary cultures (4-6 days old) of cataractous human lens cells loaded with a calcium-sensitive fluorophore (Fluo4). Forty-one cells were mechanically stimulated and calcium dynamics were monitored in their neighbors.Time series, auto-correlation and cross-correlation analyses were used to characterize the calcium signals. To investigate the physiological basis of these signals, cultures were pretreated with Ryanodine and Thapsigargin. Results: We looked at the inter- and intra-cellular calcium signaling in mechanically stimulated cataractous lens epithelium. All stimulated cells and their 3-4 adjacent tiers of neighbors responded with a significant calcium elevation upon mechanical stimulation. This large calcium response subsided in 40-90 sec. We noted a large difference between the fast propagation of calcium signals inside cells and the delayed transmission of the signal to their neighbors. Calcium signal transmission was delayed by 2.7sec (±1.1SD) between the stimulated cell and its adjacent neighbor, 5.2sec (±2.0) between first and second neighbor, and 4.8sec (±0.5) between second and third neighbor. The initiation of the calcium wave in the neighboring cells was usually in the center, not adjacent to the activating cell, suggesting that a different messenger other than calcium transmits the inter-cellular signal. Occasionally, several activation foci were noted in one cell. Thapsigargin (1µM) and Ryanodine (100µM) blocked the inter-cellular signals, suggesting they are based on intra-cellular calcium stores. This was supported by the fact that removing extracellular calcium did not affect inter-cellular communication. Conclusion: In human cataractous lens epithelium there is inter-cellular calcium communication which is based on intra-cellular calcium stores. These signals are transmitted by an inter-cellular messenger other than calcium.

Keywords: 340 cell-cell communication • 338 cataract 
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