Membrane contacts and lens transparency

✍ Scribed by Joerg Kistler; Stanley Bullivant

• Book ID: 102759313
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 726 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0265-9247
• DOI: 10.1002/bies.950050208

✦ Synopsis

Two kinds of membrane contacts in the vertebrate lens are described. Fiber gap junctions are domains where small molecules can pass between lens cells. Membrane structures of ball-and-socket type interlock adjacent lens Jibers and thus contribute to the structural integrity of the lens. Both of these membrane contacts appear crucial for the maintenance of lens transparency.