Role of apoptosis regulative factor during development of ocular structures

细胞凋亡或程序性细胞死亡是在各种组织的正常发育期间生理上发生的重要机制。细胞凋亡在暂时性眼胚胎结构中的作用尚未完全解释。这些结构的异常发育导致严重的眼部畸形。要发展合理的方法来预防这些眼部畸形，重要的是首先要了解过渡结构的正常发育机制。因此，在本研究中，我们集中在一个短暂的眼睛结构，早期透镜的发展。为了阐明透镜的发育机制，我们观察了小鼠透镜在早期发育过程中细胞凋亡引起的细胞死亡。使用C57 BL 6 N/Jcl小鼠进行研究。采用末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶（TdT）介导的脱氧尿苷三磷酸（dUTP）-生物素缺口末端标记（TUNEL）法（凋亡原位试剂盒）对切片进行染色。光镜下观察透镜组织中TUNEL阳性细胞。在表面外胚层边缘（透镜板内陷到透镜窝中）鉴定出TUNEL阳性细胞。在退变的透镜柄组织和透镜囊泡内的纤毛上皮细胞中也观察到TUNEL阳性反应。结果表明，细胞凋亡是透镜板内陷、透镜柄和透镜囊泡腔内毛上细胞退化的必要条件。

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.