[Identification of the Gene Encoding Nucleostemin in the Eye Tissues of Pleurodeles waltl]

Nucleotide sequences were identified in the eye tissues (lens, retina, and retinal pigment epithelium) of the adult newt Pleurodeles waltl by the polymerase chain reaction with primers for the Ns gene. Sequencing showed that these nucleotide sequences belong to the Ns gene of the newt P. walt, which encodes the nucleolar protein nucleostemin. Structural analysis revealed a high homology of Ns nucleotide sequences of P. walt! with those of newts. Cynops pyrrhogaster and Notophthalmus viridescens. The expression of the Ns gene of P. walt, identified in the specialized eye cells of adult newts of the studied species, indicates that these differentiated cells retain some of the molecular characteristics inherent to the undifferentiated cells.