Figure 5.

Piezo1 activation in ex vivo lenses by Yoda1: Effects on lens clarity and myosin II activity. (A). To determine the effects of Piezo1 activation on lens transparency, lenses derived from P30 mice and maintained under culture conditions were treated with 25 µM Yoda1, an agonist of Piezo1, and changes in lens transparency were monitored for 24 h. Yoda1-treated lenses exhibited a slight haziness starting at the 1 h interval that increased progressively with time, with lenses exhibiting significant increases in swelling and a slight nuclear opacity after 24 h compared to the control lenses. (B). In lenses treated with Yoda1 (25 µM) for 1 h, the levels of phospho-MLC were significantly elevated compared to the untreated control lenses. On the other hand, in the 6 and 24 h Yoda1-treated lenses, there was a significant and progressive decrease in the levels of phospho-MLC (pMLC) compared to the control lenses. The levels of total MLC (tMLC), however, were found to be similar between the Yoda1-treated and control lenses throughout the course of drug treatment. Lanes 1 to 3 represent 3 experimental replicates. Bars denote image magnification. *** p < 0.001; **** p < 0.0001. A.U.: Arbitrary Units.