Faculty > Bassnett

Steven Bassnett, Ph.D.

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Associate Professor, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Associate Professor, Cell Biology and Physiology
(314) 362-1604, 747-1405 (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. Shestopalov VI, Bassnett S. Development of a macromolecular diffusion pathway in the lens. Journal of Cell Science 2003; 116:4191-4199.
  2. 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.
  3. Bassnett S, McNulty R. The effect of elevated intraocular oxygen on organelle degradation in the embryonic chicken lens. Journal of Experimental Biology 2003; 206:4353-4361.
  4. Zandy AJ, Lakhani S, Zheng T, Flavell RA, Bassnett S. Role of executioner caspases during lens development. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2005.
  5. Bassnett S. Three-dimensional reconstruction of cells in the living lens: The relationship between cell length and volume. Experimental Eye Research 2005.


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