Change of Water-Soluble-Protein, Urea-Soluble-Protein and Membrane Intrinsic Protein in Human Senile Cataract

Purpose:To analyze the change of water-soluble-protein(WSP),urea-soluble-protein(USP)and membrane intrinsic protein(MIP)in human senile catarct.Methods:The water-soluble-fractions(WSF)were prepared basically according to the method of Kibbelear,et al.But in this study,5mmol/LB-mercaptoethanol was added to the buffer solution.The urea-soluble-fractions(USF)were pre-pared basically according to the method of Kibbelear,et al.Lens fiber cell mem-branes were purified basically according to the method of Russell,et al.SDS-PAGE were performed according to the procedure of Laemmili,et al.using re-solving gel13%and3%stacking gel.Results:The WSPwas fractionated intoHM^+α^-,β1-3^-andγ-crystallin compo-nents.In nuclear cataractous lenses HM^+α^-and B-crystallin increase,while r-crystallin decrease.The USP from clear lenses contains mainlyαβchains of22KD,whereas in cataractous lenses,especially in nuclear cataractous lenses,the relative amount of the 28-and23KDpolypeptide(the components of β-crys-tallin)increased markedly.Lens fiber cell MIP,clear lens and cataract lens con-tained the main polypeptide of 27KD(MIP)and23KD(MP23).Conclusion:The water-insolube protein,whether in quantity or in quality,plays an important role in cataract formation.Eye Science 1995,11:124-127.