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Cystatin C in the anterior segment of rat and mouse eyes

  1. Johan Wassélius1,*,
  2. Katarina Håkansson2,
  3. Magnus Abrahamson2,
  4. Berndt Ehinger1

Article first published online: 1 DEC 2003

DOI: 10.1046/j.1600-0420.2003.00178.x

Issue

Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica

Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica

Volume 82, Issue 1, pages 68–75, February 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Wassélius, J., Håkansson, K., Abrahamson, M. and Ehinger, B. (2004), Cystatin C in the anterior segment of rat and mouse eyes. Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica, 82: 68–75. doi: 10.1046/j.1600-0420.2003.00178.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lund, Sweden

  2. 2

    Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Lund, Sweden

* Dr Johan Wassélius MD Lund University Hospital Department of Ophthalmology WRC, BMC, B13, Klinikgatan 26 22184 Lund Sweden Tel: + 46 46 22 20 765 Fax: + 46 46 22 20 774 Email: johan.wasselius@oft.lu.se

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 1 DEC 2003
  2. Article first published online: 1 DEC 2003
  3. Received on March 27th, 2003. Accepted on August 28th, 2003.

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Keywords:

  • cystatin C;
  • cysteine protease;
  • cornea;
  • ciliary body;
  • aqueous humour;
  • iris;
  • lens;
  • anterior segment of eye

Abstract.

Purpose:  Cystatin C is a mammalian cysteine protease inhibitor. This study describes the localization of cystatin C in the anterior segment of normal rat and mouse eyes. Cysteine proteases play an important role in protein degradation (e.g. of photoreceptor outer segments in the retinal pigment epithelium) and the balance between these proteases and their specific inhibitors is therefore of great interest.

Methods:  Cells containing cystatin C were identified by immunohistochemistry and quantified by ELISA. Messenger RNA levels were analysed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

Results:  Cystatin C is present at biologically significant levels in the corneal epithelium, endothelium and stromal keratinocytes, lens epithelium, epithelial cells in the ciliary processes, aqueous humour and iris stromal cells. In the rat anterior segment, the highest cystatin C concentrations were found in the ciliary epithelium.

Conclusions:  Cystatin C is present in several cell types and is probably locally produced. The inhibitor is likely to be an important regulator of cysteine proteases in the retinal pigment epithelium, ciliary epithelium, aqueous humour, lens epithelium and in the corneal endothelium and epithelium.

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