title: Alterations in crystallin gene expression during subculture of chick lens cells.
abstract: We report here on the changes in crystallin gene expression during serial subculture of lens epithelial cells derived from day-old post-hatch chicks. Total cellular RNA from mass cultures were analysed by in vitro cell-free translation and by RNA blot (Northern) hybridization using a cloned delta-crystallin cDNA. Our results indicate that following subculture, lens epithelial cells which still retain the capacity for lens fibre differentiation (lentoid body formation) show a selective loss of delta-crystallin synthesis, and that this is related to the loss of delta-crystallin mRNA. The data suggest that older epithelial-cell populations give rise to lentoid bodies which in terms of crystallin gene expression closely resemble the later-formed cortical fibres of the adult chick lens. Tertiary cultures had an accelerated growth rate, formed no lentoids, contained no translatable alpha- or delta-crystallin mRNAs but still contained translatable beta-crystallin mRNAs.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002645:Chickens; D003459:Crystallins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D003459:Crystallins; D012333:RNA, Messenger