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Presbyopia Research pp 5–12Cite as

Transcriptional Control of the α-Crystallin Gene Family

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Part of the book series: Perspectives in Vision Research ((PIVR))

Abstract

Crystallina constitute 80–90% of the soluble protein of the ocular lens. There are a surprisingly large number of crystallin gene families; some (α- and ßγ-crystallins) are present in all vertebrate lenses, whereas others (the enzyme-crystallins) are found only in the lenses of certain species. The enzyme-crystallins are not lens-specific and appear to have a double function, i.e., as structural proteins in the lens and as metabolic enzymes in other tissues (see Wistow and Piatigorsky, 1988; Piatigorsky and Wistow, 1989). In addition to their lens-specific or lens-preferred expression, the synthesis of the crystallin polypeptides is developmentally regulated in a temporal and spatial manner in the lens (see McAvoy, 1981; Piatigorsky, 1981).

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Eric F. Wawrousek

    Present address: SmithKline and French Laboratories, Research and Development, King of Prussia, 19406, Pennsylvania, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, 20892, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Ana B. Chepelinsky, Eric F. Wawrousek, Robert A. Dubin, Cynthia J. Jaworski, Joan B. McDermott & Joram Piatigorsky

Authors
  1. Ana B. Chepelinsky
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  2. Eric F. Wawrousek
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  3. Robert A. Dubin
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  4. Cynthia J. Jaworski
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  5. Joan B. McDermott
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  6. Joram Piatigorsky
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Essilor, Creteil, France

    Gérard Obrecht

  2. University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Lawrence W. Stark

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Chepelinsky, A.B., Wawrousek, E.F., Dubin, R.A., Jaworski, C.J., McDermott, J.B., Piatigorsky, J. (1991). Transcriptional Control of the α-Crystallin Gene Family. In: Obrecht, G., Stark, L.W. (eds) Presbyopia Research. Perspectives in Vision Research. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2131-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2131-7_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3217-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2131-7

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