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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2023 Mar 15.
Published in final edited form as: Exp Cell Res. 2022 Jan 29;412(2):113043. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2022.113043

Figure 2. Elimination of mitochondria to form the OFZ during development of the embryonic chick lens.

Figure 2.

(A) Cortical fiber (FP) and central fiber (FC) regions of the chick embryo lens obtained by microdissection at E11, E13, and E15 were immunoblotted for the mitochondrial protein TOM20 and the lens fiber cell differentiation-specific protein CP49. The quantification of immunoblots for TOM20 from a minimum of 3 independent studies is shown in the panel to the right. Lens cryosections were immunolabeled for TOM20 and co-labeled with DAPI at (Bi) E11, (Ci) E13, and (Di) E15. Each confocal image is shown on the left for the whole lens section and on the right as a zoomed in view in the region of the border of the cortical and central lens fiber cells. Inserts are of the regions denoted by an asterisk, shown at higher magnification. (Bii, Cii, Dii) Line scan analyses across the entire width of the lenses immunolabeled for TOM20 in Bi, Ci, Di, respectively. (Biii, Ciii, Diii) Bar graphs quantifying the the fluorescence intensity from 3 independent studies over the left half of lenses as in Bi, Ci, Di, respectively, showing the staining intensities in the regions identified as A,B,C,D,E. These studies show the progressive removal of mitochondria from fiber cells with lens development. Scale bars, 100 μm. Error bars represent S.E., *P ≤ 0.05, **P ≤ 0.01, and ***P ≤ .001, t test; N.S., not significant.