Fig. 5. Abnormal BrdU incorporation in RhoGDIα transgenic lenses.

A. In vivo BrdU incorporation was performed to evaluate lens epithelial cell proliferation status in Tg mice. In WT E15.5 lenses, the BrdU-labeling was localized (bright yellow fluorescence) to the central and equatorial regions of the epithelium (anterior region between the two white arrows). However, compared to WT lenses, in the Tg lenses (δ6, δ22 and δ91), the entire central epithelium revealed intense BrdU positive labeling (bright yellow fluorescence). Additionally, most of the nuclei in the fiber cells were positive for BrdU incorporation in the Tg lenses. Lens sections were co-labeled with propidium iodide to localize the cell nucleus (red fluorescence). Representative images from the Tg line δ22 and δ91 are shown in this figure. B. Quantitative differences in BrdU incorporation in the lens central epithelium (panel b) and differentiating fibers (panel c) between WT and Tg mice. Compared to WT lenses, % BrdU incorporation was found to be significantly higher in the central epithelium (panel b) and fibers (panel c) in transgenic lenses. Panel a, indicates changes in the total number of nuclei in central epithelium between WT and Tg lenses. * P<0.05, ** P>0.01; 6-8 lens sections were analyzed from two independent mice. Since the various WT lenses showed identical values, data derived from WT littermate of Tg line 22 was given as a representative (Fig. 5A, B).