Faculty > Bassnett

Steven Bassnett, Ph.D.

Click here to visit the Bassnett Lab Website

Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology
(314) 362-1604 office
(314) 362-1650, and (314) 362-2699 lab
(314) 362-3638 fax

B.S. Zoology, University of Wales, UK (1982); Ph.D. Biophysics, University of East Anglia, UK (1987); Fellowship, Anatomy & Cell Biology, USUHS, Bethesda, MD (1987-1990)

Research Area:

Cataract

Research Interests:

Cell biology of the lens

The lens of the eye functions to form a sharply focused image on the retina. To do this, it must remain transparent throughout life and flexible enough to allow the eye to accommodate properly. Loss of lens transparency (cataract) is the most common cause of blindness in the world. Age-related "stiffening" of the lens affects almost everyone over age 50 and results in an inability to focus on near objects (presbyopia).

Studies in my laboratory are aimed at understanding the cellular basis of transparency and accommodation. One current project concerns the developmental processes that enable lens transparency. A particularly interesting feature of lens development is the programmed elimination of cytoplasmic organelles from cells in the light path. We are investigating the events that trigger organelle loss and the molecular mechanisms that underlie this process.

The cell and molecular basis of accommodation is not well understood. We recently identified novel elements of the lens cytoskeleton that may play a role in this process. To test this hypothesis, we have developed a number of approaches that take advantage of the transparent properties of the lens. For example, we use confocal microscopy to visualize the distribution of exogenous fluorescent proteins expressed in single cells of the living lens. We are combining cell biological approaches such as these with the classical techniques of physiological optics to provide a more complete understanding of the cellular mechanisms that operate during accommodation.

Selected Publications:

  1. McNulty R, Wang H, Mathias RT, Ortwerth BJ, Truscott RW, Bassnett S. Regulation of tissue oxygen levels in the mammalian lens. Journal of Physiology 2004; 559:883-898.
  2. Zandy AJ, Lakhani S, Zheng T, Flavell RA, Bassnett S. Role of executioner caspases during lens development. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2005.
  3. Zandy AJ, Bassnett S. Proteolytic mechanisms underlying organelle degradation in the ocular lens. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences 2007; 48:293-302.
  4. Shiels A, King, JM, Mackay, DS, Bassnett S. Refractive defects and cataracts in mice lacking lens intrinsic membrane protein-2. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences 2007; 48:500-508.
  5. De Maria A, Bassnett S. DNAse IIβ distribution and activity in the mouse lens. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences 2007; 48:5638-5646.


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