Gene expression in lens fiber cell differentiation

描述：(申请人摘要)哺乳动物的晶状体是一种相对简单的 由终末分化和无丝分裂的晶状体纤维细胞组成的器官 前表面覆盖着一层未成熟的有丝分裂上皮 细胞。透镜的发展可以分为两个阶段。第一阶段 导致晶状体囊泡的形成，第二阶段涉及 晶状体囊泡的生长和分化。晶状体囊泡是从 从头部外胚层中一个叫做晶状体胎座的区域。在……的诱导下 视泡(未来的视网膜)，晶状体胎盘凹陷，最终 掐掉头部外胚层，形成一个单细胞层状球体，晶状体 水泡。后部细胞(面向视泡或视网膜的细胞) 的晶状体囊泡分化为初级晶状体纤维细胞。前部 晶状体囊泡的一部分仍为未分化上皮。在 晶状体发育的第二阶段，上皮细胞继续增殖 在赤道晶状体及其后代稍靠前的区域 增殖性上皮细胞分化为晶状体纤维细胞(次级 晶状体纤维细胞)位于赤道(弓区)。晶状体纤维细胞的形成 来自晶状体上皮细胞涉及细胞大小和形状的戏剧性变化。 这些变化是如何发生的？显然，它们是受基因控制的。这是非常 对于我们理解构成这些基因的基因程序很重要 巨大的变化。基因表达的改变最终导致了 这些变化。我们的目标是找出那些表达发生变化的基因 期间，晶状体纤维细胞的形成，利用小鼠的遗传优势 不能正确形成晶状体纤维细胞的模型。对这些的识别 基因可能为晶状体相关视力的治疗提供临床靶点 损害，如白内障。

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Abstract) The mammalian lens is a relatively simple organ composed of terminally differentiated and amitotic lens fiber cells capped on the anterior surface by a layer of immature, mitotic epithelial cells. Development of the lens can be divided into two stages. The first stage results in the formation of the lens vesicle and the second stage involves growth and differentiation of the lens vesicle. The lens vesicle is derived from the head ectoderm in a region called lens placode. Under the induction of optic vesicle (the future retina), the lens placode invaginates and eventually pinches off the head ectoderm to form a single cell layered sphere, the lens vesicle. Cells in the posterior portion (those facing optic vesicle or retina) of the lens vesicle differentiate into primary lens fiber cells. The anterior portion of the lens vesicle remains as an undifferentiated epithelium. At the second stage of lens development, the epithelial cells continue to proliferate in a region slightly anterior to the lens equator and the progeny of these proliferative epithelial cells differentiate into lens fiber cells (secondary lens fiber cells) at the equator (bow region). Formation of lens fiber cells from lens epithelial cells involves dramatic changes in cell size and shape. How do these changes occur? Obviously, they are genetically controlled. It very important for us to understand the genetic program that underlies these dramatic changes. Alterations in gene expression are ultimately responsible for these changes. Our aim is to identify those genes whose expression is altered during, the formation of lens fiber cells, by taking advantage of mouse genetic models that fail to from lens fiber cells properly. Identification of these genes may provide clinical targets for treatment of lens related vision impairment, such as cataracts.