Figure 9. A working model for the basal constriction of the retinal epithelium.
(A) Representation of the retinal epithelium during eye morphogenesis showing the distribution of cortical actomyosin, integrins and ECM at the basal surface of the tissue. Apical junctions and focal adhesion components have been included as a reference for apico-basal polarity. (B) Schematic diagram representing the condensation of nonmuscle myosin II foci at the basal surface in wild type and lamc1Mo retinas. Both fast pulsating cells (orange) and myosin-enriched constricted cells (green) are depicted. Weakly constricting neuroblast feet are represented in pale green. The final form of the organ is also shown for wild type and lamc1 deficient embryos.