Physiological optics and biomechanics of the vertebrate lens

眼睛的正常功能依赖于它内部各种组织的完整性。这种晶状体具有独特的光学和生物力学功能，既能保持透明度，使光线能够到达视网膜，又能改变形状，使附近的物体在调节过程中聚焦在视网膜上。视网膜的主要功能是感知光线，然而，它也参与调节正常的眼睛生长。视网膜信号传导对晶状体发育至关重要，但对生长或成人眼睛中视网膜和晶状体之间相互作用的研究很少。该研究的长期目标是确定晶状体如何与其他眼部结构相互作用，以调节正常和异常的眼部功能。短期目标是确定晶状体结构和功能的细胞机制。小鸡将通过变形晶状体来适应，这对于理解生物力学特性和晶状体结构是如何联系在一起的很重要。晶状体的超微结构和生理结构具有独特的适应性，可保持光学清晰度。许多研究已经确定了晶状体纤维细胞中各种分子蛋白在保持透明度方面的作用，但很少有研究询问这些相同的结构蛋白如何影响或受到调节的影响。拟议的研究将调查1)具有结构和分子运动作用的细胞骨架蛋白，以及2)对保持晶状体透明度很重要的流体流动是否以及如何影响调节。细胞骨架蛋白和晶状体中的流体流动将被抑制剂破坏，生物力学完整性、光学质量、蛋白质分布的变化和抑制剂的有效性将被评估。这项研究的结果可能会对白内障的病因产生影响，白内障是一种晶状体混浊，是全世界失明的主要原因，而老花眼是一种与年龄有关的聚焦能力丧失，影响着98%的40岁以上人口。

Proper functioning of the eye relies on the integrity the various tissues within it. The lens is uniquely dedicated to both optical and biomechanical functions, maintaining transparency to allow light to reach the retina, yet also allowing for a change in shape in order to bring nearby objects into focus on the retina in a process called accommodation. The main function of the retina is to sense light, however, it is also involved in regulating normal eye growth. Retinal signalling is crucial for lens development, but investigations of the interactions between the retina and lens in growing or adult eyes have been few. The long term objective of the proposed research is to determine how the lens interacts with other ocular structures to mediate normal and abnormal ocular functions. The shorter term goals are to determine the cellular mechanisms underlying lenticular structure and functions. Chicks will be used as they accommodate by deforming the lens, which is important for understanding how biomechanical properties and lenticular architecture are linked. The ultrastructure and physiology of the lens are uniquely adapted to maintain optical clarity. Many studies have determined a role for various molecular proteins in the lens fibre cells in maintaining transparency but few studies ask how these same often structural proteins, affect, or are affected by accommodation. The proposed research will investigate if and how 1) cytoskeletal proteins, which have both structural and molecular motor roles, and 2) fluid flow, which is important for maintaining transparency of the lens, affect accommodation. Cytoskeletal proteins and fluid flow in the lens will be disrupted by inhibitors and the biomechanical integrity, optical quality, changes in the distribution of the proteins and effectiveness of the inhibitor will be assessed. The results of this research can have an impact on the aetiology of cataract, which is a clouding of the lens that is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and on presbyopia, the age-related loss of focussing ability that affects 98% of the population over 40 years of age.