Role of apoptosis regulative factor during development of ocular structures

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Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is an important mechanism that occurs physiologically during the normal development of various tissues. The role of apoptosis in the transitory ocular embryonic structures has not been fully explained. Abnormal development of these structures leads to severe ocular malformations. To develop rational means to prevent these ocular malformations, it is important first to understand the normal developmental mechanisms of transitory structures. Therefore, in this study, we focused on one of the transitory ocular structures, early lens development. To elucidate the developmental mechanism of the lens, we observed cell death by apoptosis in the lens during early development in mice. The study was performed using C57BL6N/Jcl mice. The sections were stained using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP)-biotin nick end lebeling (TUNEL) method (Apoptosis in situ kit). We examined TUNEL -positive cells in the lens tisuues by light microscopy. TUNEL-positive cells were identified at the margins of the surface ectoderm where the lens plate invaginated into the lens pit. TUNEL -positive reactions were also observed in the regressive lens stalk tissue and epitrichial cells inside the lens vesicle. The results indicate that cell deathby apoptosis is essential for lens plate invagination, and for regression of lens stalk and epitrichial cells in the cavity of the lens vesicle.