Figure 2. The distribution of mitochondria in the living bovine lens.

A, a confocal image of the lens epithelium viewed en face. Bundles of mitochondria surround the dark, unstained epithelial cell nuclei (N). B, a confocal image of mitochondria located in fibre cells immediately beneath the anterior epithelium. Mitochondria were aligned with the long axis of the fibres and were particularly abundant in the region where the fibre tips converged at the anterior suture (AS). Note the elongated morphology of the mitochondria (an example of which is indicated by the arrowhead). Scale bars in A and B = 10 μm. C, a three-dimensional reconstruction of a region (845 × 845 × 476 μm) of the anterior lens cortex imaged with a 2-photon microscope. The highly fluorescent epithelium (EP) overlies a region of less intense fluorescence emanating from mitochondria located in a superficial layer of cortical fibre cells (arrowed). D, the same data set as C but viewed as a set of orthogonal planes. In this view the distribution of mitochondria within the fibres is apparent. Note the increased fluorescence adjacent to the anterior suture.