A gene expression profile of human corneal epithelium and the isolation of human keratin 12 cDNA. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 37:1800–1809

Abstract

Purpose. To describe the quantitative and qualitative aspects of gene expression in human corneal epithelium and to discover novel cornea-specific genes. Methods. A 3'-directed cDNA library was constructed with messenger RNA prepared from normal human corneal epithelial cells, and inserts in 1069 randomly chosen clones were sequenced. These sequences were compared with each other to determine the frequency of appearance and were searched against GenBank for identification. The resultant expression profile, a list of gene species and their recurrences, reflected the composition of mRNA in the cornea. Recurrently appearing sequences, representing abundant transcripts, were compared with sequences in expression profiles obtained from seven other tissues and from those in dbEST to discover cornea-specific genes