Premium
Effects of c‐Jun and a negative dominant mutation of c‐Jun on differentiation and gene expression in lens epithelial cells
Author(s) -
Rinaudo Jo Ann,
Vacchiano Emanuel,
Zelenka Peggy S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of cellular biochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 165
eISSN - 1097-4644
pISSN - 0730-2312
DOI - 10.1002/jcb.240580212
Subject(s) - c jun , biology , lens fiber , microbiology and biotechnology , crystallin , embryonic stem cell , cellular differentiation , cell growth , messenger rna , cell culture , mutant , gene expression , gene , transcription factor , genetics , nucleus
Abstract We have used a retroviral vector (RCAS) to overexpress wild‐type chicken c‐Jun or a deletion mutant of chicken c‐Jun (JunΔ7) lacking the DNA binding region to investigate the possible role of c‐Jun in lens epithelial cell proliferation and differentiation. Both constructs were efficiently expressed in primary cultures of embryonic chicken lens epithelial cells. Overexpression of c‐Jun increased the rate of cell proliferation and greatly delayed the appearance of “lentoid bodies,” structures which contain differentiated cells expressing fiber cell markers. Excess c‐Jun expression also significantly decreased the level of β A3/A1 ‐crystallin mRNA, without affecting αA‐crystallin mRNA. In contrast, the mutated protein, JunΔ7, had no effect no proliferation or differentiation but markedly increased the level of αA‐crystallin mRNA in proliferating cell cultures. These results suggest that c‐Jun or Jun‐related proteins may be negative regulators of αA‐ and β A3/A1 ‐crystallin genes in proliferating lens cells.