Developmental regulation of the chicken delta 1-crystallin gene: analysis by transgenesis and gene dissection

We previously reviewed what we had learned about the regulation of the delta 1-crystallin gene through experiments using gene transfer techniques [Kondoh et al. (1986) Cell Differ. 19, 151-160]. It was concluded then that regulatory genetic elements for the lens-specific expression are associated with the delta 1-crystallin gene, and that these chicken elements properly function in mammalian cells. In the last couple of years, we have made significant progress in the understanding of lens-specific delta-crystallin expression. This is owing to success in transgenesis of mouse with the delta 1-crystallin gene and in functional dissection of the gene which led us to the discovery of an intragenic enhancer as the major determinant for lens-specific expression. In this article, we summarize these recent advances.