The pattern of expression of chick delta-crystallin genes in lens differentiation and in trans-differentiating cultured tissues.
During development of the vertebrate lens, the lens epithelium undergoes a final stage of differentiation into lens fibre cells. Lens fibre cells can also be produced by trans-differentiation from certain extralenticular structures, all of which are of different developmental origin from lens, including embryonic neural retina and retinal pigmented epithelium. Delta-crystallin is the major lens protein in the chick and appears first in development; it is the major product in trans-differentiated retina of younger embryos. In both normal differentiation and trans-differentiation an increase of delta-crystallin coding RNA is detectable in the nucleus of cells prior to their terminal differentiation into lens fibres. The increase in transcription of delta-crystallin genes accompanying final differentiation of lens fibres, appears to take place slightly in advance of an increase in the capacity to process and transport this mRNA to the cytoplasm.
Bower
D J
DJ
Errington
L H
LH
Pollock
B J
BJ
Morris
S
S
Clayton
R M
RM
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002642:Chick Embryo; D003459:Crystallins / Q000235:genetics*; D046508:Culture Techniques; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D003459:Crystallins; D012333:RNA, Messenger