Immunological studies on gamma crystallins from Xenopus: localization, tissue specificity and developmental...

In an effort to understand the spatio-temporal regulation of crystallins and their genes during lens development, the gamma crystallins from the frog lens have been isolated, purified and characterized. Using an immunological approach, they were found to be localized exclusively in the lens fiber cells and were not detected in any other lens cells or non-lens tissues including mature oocytes. During embryogenesis, the antigens were first detected in stage 25 embryos (but not in stage 20 embryos). Their level first decreased and then increased during subsequent stages of development. A different member of the family was also found to be expressed during later stages of embryogenesis.