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Targeted ablation of NrCAM or ankyrin-B results in disorganized lens fibers leading to cataract formation

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Item Type:Article
Title:Targeted ablation of NrCAM or ankyrin-B results in disorganized lens fibers leading to cataract formation
Creators Name:More, M.I. and Kirsch, F.P. and Rathjen, F.G.
Abstract:The NgCAM-related cell adhesion molecule (NrCAM) is an immunoglobulin superfamily member of the L1 subgroup that interacts intracellularly with ankyrins. We reveal that the absence of NrCAM causes the formation of mature cataracts in the mouse, whereas significant pathfinding errors of commissural axons at the midline of the spinal cord or of proprioceptive axon collaterals are not detected. Cataracts, the most common cause of visual impairment, are generated in NrCAM-deficient mice by a disorganization of lens fibers, followed by cellular disintegration and accumulation of cellular debris. The disorganization of fiber cells becomes histologically distinct during late embryonic development and includes abnormalities of the cytoskeleton and of connexin50-containing gap junctions. Furthermore, analysis of lenses of ankyrin-B mutant mice also reveals a disorganization of lens fibers at postnatal day 1, indistinguishable from that generated by the absence of NrCAM, indicating that NrCAM and ankyrin-B are required to maintain contact between lens fiber cells. Also, these studies provide genetic evidence of an interaction between NrCAM and ankyrin-B.
Keywords:Cell Adhesion, Ig Superfamily, L1 Subgroup, Cataract, Axon Outgrowth, Animals, Mice
Source:Journal of Cell Biology
ISSN:0021-9525
Publisher:Rockefeller University Press
Volume:154
Number:1
Page Range:187-196
Date:9 July 2001
Additional Information:Copyright (c) 2001 by The Rockefeller University Press
Official Publication:https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.200104038
PubMed:View item in PubMed

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