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Cited by 159Developmental Biology and Gene RegulationOcular Disorders and TreatmentsHeat shock proteins research

Gene sharing in lens and cornea: facts and implications

Piatigorsky, J·1998·Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
DOI 10.1016/s1350-9462(97)00004-9
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Abstract

The major water-soluble proteins (crystallins) responsible for the optical properties of the cellular lenses of vertebrates and invertebrates are surprisingly diverse and often differ among species (i.e., are taxon-specific). Many crystallins are encoded by the identical gene specifying a stress protein or a metabolic enzyme which has non-refractive functions in numerous tissues. This double use of a distinct protein has been called gene sharing. Abundant expression of various metabolic enzymes also occurs in a taxon-specific manner in corneal epithelial cells, suggesting that gene sharing extends to this transparent tissue. It has been proposed that one of the most abundant corneal enzymes (aldehyde dehydrogenase class 3) may protect the eye by directly absorbing ultraviolet light, as well as by providing an enzymatic function. It also seems possible that the high expression of corneal enzymes (5-40% of the water-soluble proteins) may reduce scattering in the corneal epithelium by minimizing spatial fluctuations in refractive index as they do in the lens. Thus, gene sharing may be a widespread phenomenon encompassing the lens, cornea and probably other systems. Lens-preferred expression of crystallin genes is integrated in a complex developmental program utilizing in many cases Pax-6. The differential expression of alpha B-crystallin (a small heat shock protein) in different tissues involves the combinatorial use of both shared and lens-specific cis-control elements. Corneal-preferred gene expression appears to depend in part on induction by environmental influences. Among the implications of gene sharing are that gene duplication is not required for the evolution of a new protein phenotype, a change in gene regulation is sufficient, that proteins may be under more than one selective constraint, affecting their evolutionary clock, and that it would be prudent to consider the possibility that any given gene may have important, unrecognized roles when planning to implement gene therapy in the future.

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  • Corneal crystallins are thought to limit backwards scattering by forming a structural unit that promotes short-range order.

    “They are thought to limit backwards scattering by forming a structural unit that promotes short-range order (Piatigorsky, 1998).”

    From Corneal structure and transparency (2015) · cites this paper as Piatigorsky, 1998

    Section 5.2 (page unavailable) proposes that abundant proteins in corneal epithelial cells reduce light scattering by minimizing fluctuations in refractive index. The paper attributes short-range ordering to lens crystallins (Introduction) and corneal stromal collagen fibers (Section 4.1), not to a structural unit formed by corneal crystallins. It also does not specify backward scattering. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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Research works printed but not linked: 51

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Authors
Piatigorsky, J.
Affiliations
National Institutes of Health (US)
Corresponding author
Piatigorsky, J
Venue
Progress in Retinal and Eye Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1998-04
Volume
17
Issue
2
Pages
145-174
ISSN
1350-9462 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s1350-9462(97)00004-9
OpenAlex
W1981183222
Cited by
159
References
0
Citations by year
2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 3 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
FWCI
3.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Progress in Retinal and Eye Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Ocular Disorders and Treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Heat shock proteins research
Keywords
gene sharing, crystallins, lens, cornea, corneal epithelium, UV absorption, light scattering, refractive index, alphaB-crystallin, small heat shock proteins, Pax6, cis-regulatory elements, gene expression regulation, protein evolution, gene duplication, gene therapy
MeSH terms
Animals, Cornea, Crystallins, Eye Proteins, Genes, Humans, Invertebrates, Lens, Crystalline, Gene Expression

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