ReviewPhilosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences2011
Biological glass: structural determinants of eye lens transparency.
Review in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 210 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
210 citing papers in PubMed, 329 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mitochondrial Control of Myelination, Bioenergetics, Oxidative Stress, and the Pathogenesis of Optic Neuropathies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- RNA-binding proteins in the mouse lens: Functional classifications, expression profiling, and interaction studies of Carhsp1 with crystallin mRNAs.Developmental biology · 2026Article
- Reversing the Fold: Polyanionic Macrocycle Dissolves αA66-80 Crystallin Peptide Aggregates.Biomacromolecules · 2026Article
- Mapping of CELF1-RNA interactions reveals post-transcriptional control of lens development.NAR molecular medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- The Mammalian Ocular Lens in Focus: Development, Anatomy, Physiology, Transparency, Biomechanics, and Age-related Challenges.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2026Review
- Article
- The Human Lens Fiber Cytoskeletome Reveals Neuronal Signatures and the Presence of Chaperonins, Proteasome, Signaling, and Redox Regulators.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Article
- Structure and function of mouse lens suture examined by 2-photon fluorescence microscopic imaging.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Lens aging and disease: Molecular mechanisms, functional consequences, and pharmacological implications.Progress in retinal and eye research · 2026Review
- Mapping of CELF1-RNA interactions reveals post-transcriptional control of lens development.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Preventing Age-Related Nuclear Cataract Development - Is Cholesterol the Key?Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Review
- Cataract Management in the Modern Era: Therapeutic Advances and Unmet Needs.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Global challenges for lens and cataract research.Frontiers in ophthalmology · 2026Article
- Regional Differences in Calcium Dynamics in the Intact Lens: The Role of TRPV Channels in Lens Calcium Regulation.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
- Urinary Sodium-Potassium Ratio and Cataract Risk: Insights From the NHANES 2003-2006 and Mendelian Randomization Analyses.Translational vision science & technology · 2025Article
- Nucleolar ribosomal RNA synthesis continues in differentiating lens fiber cells until abrupt nuclear degradation required for ocular lens transparency.RNA biology · 2025Review
- Analysis of mouse lens morphological and proteomic abnormalities following deletion of the βB3-crystallin promoter.Experimental eye research · 2025Article
- RNA Isolation from Mouse Ocular Lens Epithelium and Fiber Cell Bulk Masses.Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE · 2025Article
- Studies on Hydrostatic Pressure Responses to Piezo1 and TRPV4 in the Mouse Lens.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025Article
150 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The purpose of the lens is to project a sharply focused, undistorted image of the visual surround onto the neural retina. The first pre-requisite, therefore, is that the tissue should be transparent. Despite the presence of remarkably high levels of protein, the lens cytosol remains transparent as a result of short-range-order interactions between the proteins. At a cellular level, the programmed elimination of nuclei and other light-scattering organelles from cells located within the pupillary space contributes directly to tissue transparency. Scattering at the cell borders is minimized by the close apposition of lens fibre cells facilitated by a plethora of adhesive proteins, some expressed only in the lens. Similarly, refractive index matching between lens membranes and cytosol is believed to minimize scatter. Refractive index matching between the cytoplasm of adjacent cells is achieved through the formation of cellular fusions that allow the intermingling of proteins. Together, these structural adaptations serve to minimize light scatter and enable this living, cellular structure to function as 'biological glass'.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.