Molecular Control of Lens Development in Xenopus Laevis
Schaefer, Jonathan James
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/86645
Description
Title
Molecular Control of Lens Development in Xenopus Laevis
Author(s)
Schaefer, Jonathan James
Issue Date
2002
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Henry, Jonathan J.
Department of Study
Microbiology
Discipline
Microbiology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Biology, Animal Physiology
Language
eng
Abstract
The formation of the embryonic lens is a classic system for the study of tissue interactions, termed inductive interactions. Chapter 1 will present an overview of lens formation, focusing on the inductive interactions involved in lens formation, including the presentation of a model of lens induction, and recent work examining the molecular control during embryonic lens formation. In the anuran, Xenopus laevis, there is an alternative lens-forming process termed cornea-lens transdifferentiation. Considering that both lens-forming processes result in the same ultimate outcome, it begs the question: How related are the molecular events involved in the embryonic and regenerative processes? Chapter 2 will examine gene expression during cornea-lens transdifferentiation and establish that the suite of gene expression involved in embryonic lens formation is also involved in cornea-lens transdifferentiation. These results support the idea that the transdifferentiating cornea could prove to be a useful source of material in producing a library of genes generally involved in lens formation. A subtracted library was constructed from 1--4 day transdifferentiating corneas in order to isolate novel genes involved in lens formation. This approach was found to be successful for identifying new genes, which are expressed during embryonic lens development. Chapter 3 will discuss a screen of genes isolated from this subtracted library. The inductive events regulating the expression of one of there genes will be discussed. The results of this screen and the results of the second chapter will be used to analyze the question: Can temporal patterns of gene expression be correlated to the particular properties of competence, bias, specification, commitment, and differentiation? There may be other properties that have not yet been identified in either a developmental or experimental context, which could be revealed by examining a broad panel of gene expression. Chapter 4 will examine the temporal patterns of gene expression during embryonic lens formation and assess the model of lens induction presented in Chapter 1.
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