Menko, Sue

A. Sue Menko

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Investigative Opthalmology & Visual Science

New Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles That Link Lens Fiber Cells

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New Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles That Link Lens Fiber Cells.

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Thomas Jefferson UniversityJefferson Digital CommonsDepartment of Pathology, Anatomy and CellBiology Faculty PapersDepartment of Pathology, Anatomy and CellBiology8-1-2016New Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles ThatLink Lens Fiber Cells.Sue MenkoThomas Jefferson University, sue.menko@jefferson.eduLet us know how access to this document benefits youFollow this and additional works at: http://jdc.jefferson.edu/pacbfpPart of the Ophthalmology CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Jefferson Digital Commons. The Jefferson Digital Commons is a service of ThomasJefferson University's Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). The Commons is a showcase for Jefferson books and journals, peer-reviewed scholarlypublications, unique historical collections from the University archives, and teaching tools. The Jefferson Digital Commons allows researchers andinterested readers anywhere in the world to learn about and keep up to date with Jefferson scholarship. This article has been accepted for inclusion inDepartment of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology Faculty Papers by an authorized administrator of the Jefferson Digital Commons. For moreinformation, please contact: JeffersonDigitalCommons@jefferson.edu.Recommended CitationMenko, Sue, "New Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles That Link Lens Fiber Cells." (2016).Department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology Faculty Papers. Paper 200.http://jdc.jefferson.edu/pacbfp/200Research HighlightNew Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles That LinkLens Fiber CellsA. Sue MenkoThomas Jefferson University, Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States;sue.menko@jefferson.eduThe lens is a tissue in which structure defines function. The formation of this transparent, focusing epicenter of the eye depends onprecise morphogenetic processes that include the elaboration of complex lateral interactions between its component fiber cells.This differentiation process is dynamic, with fiber cells first developing small, interlocking lateral protrusions and then forminglarge interconnected paddles evocative of jigsaw puzzle pieces. While we have known for many years that these morphogeneticspecifications exist, there has been little understanding of their component elements, how they form and how they are maintained.In their paper entitled ‘‘Tropomodulin 1 Regulation of Actin is Required for the Formation of Large Paddle Protrusions BetweenMature Fiber Cells,’’ Velia Fowler and colleagues1 now provide significant insight into the actin-associated cytoskeletal structuresthat regulate formation of these elaborate fiber cell projections, both small protrusions and large paddles. Many of their findingswere made possible by a powerful new methodology they developed in which individual fiber cells are isolated prior to analysis.This approach provided a level of resolution of the molecules that comprise these structures not previously possible. The Fowlerteam mapped the specific actin cytoskeletal structures in protrusions and paddles, and showed them to be distinct. Their resultsrevealed that formation/maintenance of paddles involves a spectrin-actin network that is stabilized by Tropomodulin 1 (Tmod1),while formation of the small protrusions between fiber cells involves Arp3-branched F-actin networks and fimbrin-bundled F-actin.These studies have provided an understanding of the molecular regulators of protrusion and paddle formation in cortical,differentiating, and mature fiber cells not previously appreciated, and have greatly advanced our knowledge of the structuresthrough which neighboring mature fiber cells interact to form a transparent lens tissue.References1. Cheng C, Nowak RB, Biswas SK, Lo W-K, FitzGerald PG, Fowler VM. Tropomodulin 1 regulation of actin is required for the formation oflarge paddle protrusions between mature lens fiber cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016;57:4084–4099.DOI: 10.1167/iovs.16-20340iovs.arvojournals.org j ISSN: 1552-5783 4100This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Downloaded From: http://iovs.arvojournals.org/pdfaccess.ashx?url=/data/Journals/IOVS/935593/ on 09/09/2016

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New Insight Into the Protrusions and Paddles That Link Lens Fiber Cells.

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