A newt's eye view of lens regeneration

Tsonis, Panagiotis A.; Madhavan, Mayur; Tancous, Emily E.; Rio‐Tsonis, Katia Del

doi:10.1387/ijdb.041867pt

Cited by 101 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…Understanding the mechanistic aspects of this "final" stage suggest a possibility to activate and employ this process in other cell types such as cancer cells. Lens can also regenerate in certain species from dorsal iris, RPE and corneal epithelium (Grogg et al, 2005;Tsonis et al, 2004;Alvarado and Tsonis, 2006;see Fig. 4).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation during lens development

Cvekl

Duncan

2007

Progress in Retinal and Eye Research

139

124

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Recent studies demonstrated a number of links between chromatin structure, gene expression, extracellular signaling and cellular differentiation during lens development. Lens progenitor cells originate from a pool of common progenitor cells, the pre-placodal region (PPR) which is formed due to a complex exchange of extracellular signals between the neural plate, naïve ectoderm and mesendoderm. A specific commitment to the lens program over alternate choices such as the formation of olfactory epithelium or the anterior pituitary is manifested by the formation of a thickened surface ectoderm, the lens placode. Mouse lens progenitor cells are characterized by the expression of a complement of lens lineage-specific transcription factors including Pax6, Six3 and Sox2, controlled by FGF and BMP signaling, followed later by c-Maf, Mab21like1, Prox1 and FoxE3. Proliferation of lens progenitors together with their morphogenetic movements results in the formation of the lens vesicle. This transient structure, comprised of lens precursor cells, is polarized with its anterior cells retaining their epithelial morphology and proliferative capacity, whereas the posterior lens precursor cells initiate terminal differentiation forming the primary lens fibers. Lens differentiation is marked by expression and accumulation of crystallins and other structural proteins. The transcriptional control of crystallin genes is characterized by the reiterative use of transcription factors required for the establishment of lens precursors in combination with more ubiquitously expressed factors (e.g. AP-1, AP-2α, CREB and USF) and recruitment of histone acetyltransferases (HATs) CBP and p300, and chromatin remodeling complexes SWI/SNF and ISWI. These studies have poised the study of lens development at the forefront of efforts to understand the connections between development, cell signaling, gene transcription and chromatin remodeling.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation during lens development

Cvekl

Duncan

2007

Progress in Retinal and Eye Research

139

124

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It is particularly common in organisms such as amphibians that exhibit regeneration of missing parts. For example, when the lens is removed in the eye, pigmented epithelial cells from the dorsal iris first dedifferentiate, proliferate to create new lens vesicle, and then differentiate into the mature cells of the lens [75]. In mammals, natural transdifferentiation is very rare and is exemplified by the formation of coronary arteries from venous cells [63].…”

Section: Granulosa Cells and Ability For Transdifferentiationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plasticity of granulosa cells: on the crossroad of stemness and transdifferentiation potential

Dzafic

Štimpfel

Virant‐Klun

2013

J Assist Reprod Genet

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The ovarian follicle represents the basic functional unit of the ovary and consists of an oocyte, which is surrounded by granulosa cells (GCs). GCs play an important role in the growth and development of the follicle. They are subject to increased attention since it has recently been shown that the subpopulation of GCs within the growing follicle possesses exceptionally plasticity showing stem cell characteristics. In assisted reproduction programs, oocytes are retrieved from patients together with GCs, which are currently discarded daily, but could be an interesting subject to be researched and potentially used in regenerative medicine in the future. Isolated GCs expressed stem cell markers such as OCT-4, NANOG and SOX-2, showed high telomerase activity, and were in vitro differentiated into other cell types, otherwise not present within ovarian follicles. Recently another phenomenon demonstrated in GCs is transdifferentiation, which could explain many ovarian pathological conditions. Possible applications in regenerative medicine are also given.

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“…However, transdifferentiation events have also been observed in some more commonly used model organisms for regeneration studies. In the process of Wolffian lens regeneration in urodele amphibia, cells of the dorsal iris proliferate, undergo depigmentation, and redifferentiate into keratinocyte-like crystallin containing cells of the lens (Yamada and McDevitt, 1984;Tsonis et al, 2004). It is also possible to redirect the neuronal retina and cells of the outer cornea into a lens epithelium fate in this manner (Opas et al, 2001;Opas and Dziak, 1998).…”

Section: Transdifferentiation During Regenerationmentioning

confidence: 99%