New insight into cataract formation -- enhanced stability through mutual attraction

TL;DR

This study combines experiments and simulations to reveal that weak attractions between different eye lens proteins enhance stability and transparency, offering insights into cataract formation and colloid mixture stability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of soft matter physics concepts to understand protein mixture stability and cataract formation.

Findings

Weak attractions between unlike proteins improve lens stability.

Non-monotonic relationship between attraction strength and transparency.

Guidelines for tuning colloid mixture stability.

Abstract

Small-angle neutron scattering experiments and molecular dynamics simulations combined with an application of concepts from soft matter physics to complex protein mixtures provide new insight into the stability of eye lens protein mixtures. Exploring this colloid-protein analogy we demonstrate that weak attractions between unlike proteins help to maintain lens transparency in an extremely sensitive and non-monotonic manner. These results not only represent an important step towards a better understanding of protein condensation diseases such as cataract formation, but provide general guidelines for tuning the stability of colloid mixtures, a topic relevant for soft matter physics and industrial applications.