Figure 6.

Peripheral fiber cells are disordered in the NMIIA^{E1841K/E1841K} lenses. Whole fixed lenses were labeled with rhodamine-phalloidin (F-actin) (red), WGA (cell membrane, green), and nuclei (blue). (A) A single optical section of the peripheral fiber cells in the region of the lens fulcrum is shown in the XY plane. The fulcrum can be identified by a change in cell morphology and bright phalloidin staining (red dashed line). The fulcrum is irregular and discontinuous (short red dashed line) in the homozygous mutant lens, and peripheral fiber cells are not aligned in parallel rows in NMIIA^{E1841K/E1841K} lenses in contrast to the NMIIA^+/+ lenses. Scale bars, 20 µm. (B) Images of a single optical section of peripheral fiber cells approximately 5.0 to 5.5 µm inwards from the fulcrum. The F-actin and WGA staining reveal irregularly spaced and misaligned fiber cells in the NMIIA^{E1841K/E1841K} lens, while precisely aligned and regularly spaced fiber cell membranes are observed in the NMIIA^+/+ lens. Scale bars, 50 µm.