INDUCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF PROTEINS SECRETED BY RETINAL CELLS *)
V. N. Zemchikhina,1 Yu. L. Baturina, G. V. Lopashov
Institute of Gene Biology, RAS, Moscow, Russia;
1 e-mail: vellbiogen@mail.ru
The studies of the development of eye rudiments and formation of adult eye tissues have always been among
priorities in developmental biology and then in developmental genetics, which is associated with the peculiarities of the
development and structure of the eye. In the late 80s, it was established by the group of developmental factors of the
Institute of Gene Biology of RAS that many differentiated tissues are able to produce proteins causing homologous
differentiations in polypotent cells of early gastrula ectoderm. The aim of our present study was isolation of proteins
secreted by mammalian and fish retinal cells and determination of their inductive properties in early gastrula ectoderm of
Xenopus laevis. The sets of proteins secreted by retina induce tissues homologous to the inducer, that is, neural tissue,
brain, retina, pigmented epithelium, and also lenses and ear vesicles. The retinal inductive proteins retain their homologous
inductive capacity after lyophilization. Biological testing shows that a total mixture of proteins secreted by retinal cells
induces in polypotent gastrula ectoderm of X. laevis a narrower spectrum of tissues than the fractions obtained from this
mixture. The above-outlined results obtained in the course of investigations of inductive peculiarities of retina and its
fractions help in the elucidation of questions concerning embryonic induction and factors determining it, as well as questions
concerning the maintenance of tissue specifity and regenerative capacity of the tissue studied.
Key words: differentiation, early gastrula ectoderm, fish, induction, retina, Xenopus laevis
*) Paper in English
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