Fig. 6.

Corneal morphogenesis after ablation of the lens at E3. Light microscopy of toluidine blue-stained sections, top, and three-dimensional models generated in Amira software, below. Ablated eye at E4 showing corneal epithelium (e) and neural crest cell mass overlying closed optic cup (oc) (A, D). In an ablated eye at E6, primary stroma (arrow, B) is present below epithelium (e), but neural crest cells have failed to form endothelial monolayer, instead a central mass of disorganised cells (B, nc). A non-ablated control eye at E4 exhibits normal development of lens and early corneal primary stroma (C). In ablated eye at E4 (D) and E6 (E) matrix cords (arrows) are evident extending from epithelium (e) into disorganised neural crest cell mass (nc) proximally. In an unablated eye, at E5 neural crest cells have formed almost complete endothelial cell (en) monolayer on distal face of primary stroma, where matrix cords are evident (arrows, F). Bar, 50 μm: A - C; 10 μm: D - F. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)