| First Author | Cooper MA | Year | 2008 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 105 |
| Issue | 43 | Pages | 16620-5 |
| PubMed ID | 18948590 | Mgi Jnum | J:144621 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3831440 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.0808987105 |
| Citation | Cooper MA, et al. (2008) Loss of ephrin-A5 function disrupts lens fiber cell packing and leads to cataract. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105(43):16620-5 |
| abstractText | Cell-cell interactions organize lens fiber cells into highly ordered structures to maintain transparency. However, signals regulating such interactions have not been well characterized. We report here that ephrin-A5, a ligand of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinases, plays a key role in lens fiber cell shape and cell-cell interactions. Lens fiber cells in mice lacking ephrin-A5 function appear rounded and irregular in cross-section, in contrast to their normal hexagonal appearance in WT lenses. Cataracts eventually develop in 87% of ephrin-A5 KO mice. We further demonstrate that ephrin-A5 interacts with the EphA2 receptor to regulate the adherens junction complex by enhancing recruitment of beta-catenin to N-cadherin. These results indicate that the Eph receptors and their ligands are critical regulators of lens development and maintenance. |
