Role of sulfated protoglycans in early lens development

Abstract

The extracellular matrix has been sean to play a key role in many of the morphogenetic processes which take place during early ocular aniaga development. For soma time now it has been known that sulfatad proteoglycans are present ininitiallens development, as these molecules have been implied in morphogenetic processes such as lens invagination and induction (Webster et al., 1983, Peterson et al., 1995). The implication of sulfatad proteoglycans in these phenomena is attributed to their distribution pattern and their coinciding with a particular process, or to the changas found in this distribution pattern in certain mutant strains of aphakic mica (Zwaan and Webster, 1984). Nevertheless, there is no direct evidence to support the implication of proteoglycans in the formation processes of the lens vesicle and its subsequent development. In this paper, we offer the preliminary results of an experimental study concerning selectiva disruption of sulfatad proteoglycans synthesis by means of a P-D Xyloside, and its effect on lens growth.