Cell biology of the lens Dr. Bassnett's laboratory is interested in fundamental cell biological processes in the lens and how these may be altered during cataract formation and presbyopia. During the normal differentiation of lens fiber cells, cytoplasmic organelles are abruptly disassembled. This guarantees that the optical path is free of light-scattering structures and ensures the transparency of the lens. In many cataracts, however, the organelle degradation process is interrupted and organelles persist abnormally in the mature cells. Dr. Bassnett has been using confocal microscopy and three-dimensional image reconstruction to study the process of organelle loss in living lenses.
Studies now focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying the degradation process.
Lens fiber cells are perhaps the longest epithelial cells in the body. Despite their extreme length, the lens fibers maintain a polarized cellular organization. Ongoing studies in Dr. Bassnett's laboratory are designed to better understand the formation and maintenance of specific membrane domains in the fiber cell plasma membrane. Genes encoding GFP-tagged membrane proteins are introduced into the lens by microinjection or viral infection. The trafficking of membrane components can then be visualized in individual cells within the intact lens.