Relationship between crystallin mRNA expression in retina cells and their capacity to re-differentiate into lens cells

Differentiating vertebrate embryo tissues pass through a stage when they have the potential for several pathways of differentiation, some of them revealed only by experimental manoeuvres. As differentiation proceeds, the potential for alternative pathways becomes progressively restricted and is even...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1979-12, Vol.282 (5739), p.628-629
Main Authors: Clayton, R. M, Thomson, I, de pomerai, D. I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cell Adhesion
Cell Differentiation
Cells, Cultured
Chick Embryo
Crystallins - biosynthesis
Crystallins - genetics
Humanities and Social Sciences
Lens, Crystalline - cytology
letter
multidisciplinary
Retina - cytology
Retina - embryology
RNA, Messenger - genetics
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:Differentiating vertebrate embryo tissues pass through a stage when they have the potential for several pathways of differentiation, some of them revealed only by experimental manoeuvres. As differentiation proceeds, the potential for alternative pathways becomes progressively restricted and is eventually lost. We have investigated the molecular basis for this phenomenon, using the chick embryo retina, which has a potential for differentiation into lens cells. This potential requires special conditions for its manifestation; it declines during development and is finally lost before hatching. Lens protein (crystallin) mRNA is expressed in early embryo retina: its levels decline in parallel with the decline in lens-forming potential. There is also evidence of an ontogenic change in post-tran-scriptional regulation. Such a relationship between heterolo-gous mRNA and heterologous differentiation potential may be of general application.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/282628a0