Purpose: To determine whether lens epithelial cells (LECs) are transcriptionally activated after a foreign body is attached to the anterior lens surface.
Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
Methods: One eye of adult Wistar rats (N = 32) was used. After the anterior capsule of the lens was rubbed with a dull 27-gauge needle 10 times, the eye was enucleated immediately (within 1 minute) or at 30 minutes or 1, 3, or 5 hours. The 32 globes were immunohistochemically analyzed using anti-c-Fos and anti-c-Jun antibodies.
Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that normal LECs lacked immunoreactivity for c-Fos or c-Jun. The c-Fos protein was localized in the nuclei of LECs in the equatorial region of the injured lens 3 hours after treatment and was not detected thereafter. The c-Jun protein was not detected at any interval.
Conclusion: The protein c-Fos was transiently expressed in equatorial LECs after the anterior lens capsule was rubbed, indicating that equatorial LECs are transcriptionally activated by minor mechanical stimuli to the anterior lens surface.