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Analysis of Nephron Composition and Function in the Adult Zebrafish Kidney
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Alpha B-crystallin is expressed in kidney epithelial cell lines and not in fibroblasts

C N Nagineni1, S P Bhat

  • 1Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90024-1771.

FEBS Letters
|May 22, 1989
PubMed

We have recently shown the presence of alpha B-crystallin in non-ocular tissues of diverse embryological origins such as the heart, brain, spinal cord, kidney, retina, etc. Using an alpha B-crystallin-specific antiserum and immunofluorescence, immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and peptide mapping with Staphylococcus aureus protease, we demonstrate differential expression of alpha B-crystallin in epithelial and fibroblast cell lines. alpha B-Crystallin was detectable only in epithelial cell lines such as MDBK, MDCK, LLCPK1 and JTC-12, and was not observed in two kidney fibroblast cell lines, one skin fibroblast cell line, and one corneal fibroblast cell line. Differential expression of the alpha B-crystallin gene was also confirmed by Northern blot analysis of the RNAs isolated from these cell lines. These data suggest a cell-type-specific role for alpha B.

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