Biomaterial Database

alpha-Crystallin chaperone function in diabetic rat and human lenses. 2002

Prajitha Thampi, and Shamshad Zarina, and Edathara C Abraham

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205, USA.

This study focussed on the effect of diabetes on the chaperone function of alpha-crystallin. The authors relied on diabetic rats with a wide range of plasma glucose levels and non-diabetic control rats to establish a possible relationship between severity of diabetes and alpha-crystallin chaperone activity. In addition, 52-56 and 63-69 year-old diabetic and non-diabetic human lenses were used to show whether diabetes affects alpha-crystallin chaperone activity in human lenses. Correlation between plasma glucose levels and loss of chaperone activity of the alphaL-crystallin fraction in diabetic rats indicated good correlation. The glycemic threshold, reported before for cataract development in diabetic rats, seems to be valid for the chaperone activity loss as well. Analysis of the human lens alphaL-crystallin showed lower chaperone activity in all the diabetic lenses than in the age-matched control lenses. In the 63-69 age group, the loss in chaperone activity due to diabetes was significantly larger than in the 52-56 age group suggesting a dominant effect of duration of diabetes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007908	Lens, Crystalline	A transparent, biconvex structure of the EYE, enclosed in a capsule and situated behind the IRIS and in front of the vitreous humor (VITREOUS BODY). It is slightly overlapped at its margin by the ciliary processes. Adaptation by the CILIARY BODY is crucial for OCULAR ACCOMMODATION.	Eye Lens,Lens, Eye,Crystalline Lens
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D001786	Blood Glucose	Glucose in blood.	Blood Sugar,Glucose, Blood,Sugar, Blood
D003459	Crystallins	A heterogeneous family of water-soluble structural proteins found in cells of the vertebrate lens. The presence of these proteins accounts for the transparency of the lens. The family is composed of four major groups, alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, and several minor groups, which are classed on the basis of size, charge, immunological properties, and vertebrate source. Alpha, beta, and delta crystallins occur in avian and reptilian lenses, while alpha, beta, and gamma crystallins occur in all other lenses.	Lens Proteins,Crystallin,Eye Lens Protein,Lens Protein, Eye,Protein, Eye Lens,Proteins, Lens
D003920	Diabetes Mellitus	A heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by HYPERGLYCEMIA and GLUCOSE INTOLERANCE.
D003921	Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental	Diabetes mellitus induced experimentally by administration of various diabetogenic agents or by PANCREATECTOMY.	Alloxan Diabetes,Streptozocin Diabetes,Streptozotocin Diabetes,Experimental Diabetes Mellitus,Diabete, Streptozocin,Diabetes, Alloxan,Diabetes, Streptozocin,Diabetes, Streptozotocin,Streptozocin Diabete
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D000426	Alcohol Dehydrogenase	A zinc-containing enzyme which oxidizes primary and secondary alcohols or hemiacetals in the presence of NAD. In alcoholic fermentation, it catalyzes the final step of reducing an aldehyde to an alcohol in the presence of NADH and hydrogen.	Alcohol Dehydrogenase (NAD+),Alcohol Dehydrogenase I,Alcohol Dehydrogenase II,Alcohol-NAD+ Oxidoreductase,Yeast Alcohol Dehydrogenase,Alcohol Dehydrogenase, Yeast,Alcohol NAD+ Oxidoreductase,Dehydrogenase, Alcohol,Dehydrogenase, Yeast Alcohol,Oxidoreductase, Alcohol-NAD+
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia