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Expression of autophagy transcripts and proteins in the ocular lens suggests a role for autophagy in lens cell and cellular differentiation

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Date Issued:
2013
Summary:
The lens is an avascular organ that focuses light onto the retina where neural signals are transmitted to the brain and translated into images. Lens transparency is vital for maintaining function. The lens is formed through a transition from organelle-rich epithelial cells to organelle-free fiber cells. Lens cell differentiation, leading to the lack of organelles, provides an environment optimal for minimizing light scatter and maximizing the ability to focus light onto the retina. The process responsible for orchestrating lens cell differentiation has yet to be elucidated. In recent years, data has emerged that led our lab to hypothesize that autophagy is likely involved in lens cell maintenance, cell differentiation, and maintenance of lens transparency. As a first step towards testing this hypothesis, we used RT-PCR, western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and next generation RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) to examine autophagy genes expressed by the lens to begin mapping their lens function.
Title: Expression of autophagy transcripts and proteins in the ocular lens suggests a role for autophagy in lens cell and cellular differentiation.
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Name(s): Mattucci, Lyndzie.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Department of Biomedical Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2013
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
electronic resource
Extent: vii, 27 p. : ill. (some col.)
Language(s): English
Summary: The lens is an avascular organ that focuses light onto the retina where neural signals are transmitted to the brain and translated into images. Lens transparency is vital for maintaining function. The lens is formed through a transition from organelle-rich epithelial cells to organelle-free fiber cells. Lens cell differentiation, leading to the lack of organelles, provides an environment optimal for minimizing light scatter and maximizing the ability to focus light onto the retina. The process responsible for orchestrating lens cell differentiation has yet to be elucidated. In recent years, data has emerged that led our lab to hypothesize that autophagy is likely involved in lens cell maintenance, cell differentiation, and maintenance of lens transparency. As a first step towards testing this hypothesis, we used RT-PCR, western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, confocal microscopy, and next generation RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) to examine autophagy genes expressed by the lens to begin mapping their lens function.
Identifier: 851746256 (oclc), 3360958 (digitool), FADT3360958 (IID), fau:4122 (fedora)
Note(s): by Lyndzie Mattucci.
Vita.
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.
Includes bibliography.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
System requirements: Adobe Reader.
Subject(s): Cell differentiation
Protein binding -- Research
Cellular control mechanisms
Apoptosis
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3360958
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU