Dr. Laxman Mainali (BMOL Faculty) was recently awarded an NIH R01 grant titled, “Interaction of alpha-crystallin with cholesterol bilayer domains in cataract formation”. The grant is for five years (September 30, 2024 to June 30, 2029) and totals $1,742,784. A short description of what the grant will be investigating is below:
Several studies show that α-crystallin binding to the lens membrane increases with age and cataract; however, the mechanism that initiates α-crystallin binding to the lens membrane is unknown. In this grant, Dr. Mainali hypothesizes that deamidation and mutation of α-crystallin and oxidation of lipids and cholesterol promote α-crystallin binding to the membrane, and cholesterol and cholesterol bilayer domains inhibit such binding and protect against cataract formation and progression. To test this hypothesis, the Mainali lab will be using the state-of-the-art electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) methods to generate the fundamental information on the molecular level that will explain the mechanism of α-crystallin binding to the lens membranes, leading them to understand the causes and mechanisms of congenital, early onset, and age-related cataracts.