To understand the mechanism of VP1-001, we tested the ability of its enantiomer, ent-VP1-001, to bind and stabilize αB-crystallin (cryAB) in vitro and to produce a similar therapeutic effect in cryAB(R120G) mutant and aged wild-type mice with cataracts.
Clinical characteristics of children with cataracts correlated with growth behavior of pLEC in vitro. mRNA expression of epithelial (αB-crystallin, connexin-43) and mesenchymal (αV-integrin, α-smooth muscle actin, collagen-Iα2, fibronectin-1) markers was quantified in pLEC and in cell line HLE-B3 in the presence and absence of TGFβ-2.
Surgical removal of cataracts is typically incomplete, and we estimate that this disease is associated with alpha-B crystallin (CRYAB) secreted from the retained lens material.
Genetic mutations in the human small heat shock protein αB-crystallin have been implicated in autosomal cataracts and skeletal myopathies, including heart muscle diseases (cardiomyopathy).
In this study, we screened for polymorphisms in crystallin alpha A (CRYAA) and alpha B (CRYAB) genes in 200 patients over 40 years of age, diagnosed with age-related cataract (ARC; nuclear and cortical cataracts).
Mutations of HSPB5 (also known as CRYAB or αB-crystallin), a bona fide heat shock protein and molecular chaperone encoded by the HSPB5 (crystallin, alpha B) gene, are linked to multisystem disorders featuring variable combinations of cataracts, cardiomyopathy, and skeletal myopathy.
To investigate the expression of αA- and αB-crystallin and the unfolded protein response in the lens epithelium of patients with high myopia-related cataracts.
Dominant mutations in the alpha-B crystallin (CryAB) gene are responsible for a number of inherited human disorders, including cardiomyopathy, skeletal muscle myopathy, and cataracts.
These knock-in αB-R120G mice are a valuable model of the developmental and molecular biological mechanisms that underlie the pathophysiology of human hereditary cataracts and myopathy.