Inductive Interactions between Lens and Optic Cup Specify Cell Fates

正常的眼睛发育取决于胚胎眼组织之间的相互作用。在眼球前部，晶状体和视神经囊泡之间的诱导相互作用对晶状体、睫状体和虹膜的形成和生长起着重要的作用。我们最近的研究表明，一系列重要的生长因子wnt在这一过程中起着关键作用。我们提出的研究将首次探讨wnt在晶状体、睫状体和虹膜发育中的作用。具体的实验结果将显示wnt在促进晶状体前部晶状体上皮的形成和维持中是否重要。这些结果还将为我们提供有关介导wnt对晶状体细胞影响的分子的信息，以及来自视神经杯睫状体唇部的调节因子是否可以影响wnt影响晶状体细胞的途径。此外，我们将了解晶状体来源的wnt是否在睫状体和虹膜的形成中起作用。识别调节眼组织形成的因素对于理解眼病的分子基础至关重要。例如，白内障是世界上最常见的致盲原因。白内障手术是最常见的外科手术，对医疗保健预算的负担也在不断增加。最常需要手术的白内障通常涉及晶状体细胞的异常生长和行为，如后囊膜下白内障和后囊膜混浊（也称为后囊膜白内障，因为它发生在白内障手术之后）。识别晶状体细胞正常形成和生长的分子和机制是了解这些疾病的基础。此外，众所周知，晶状体是包括睫状体和虹膜在内的眼睛前部的正常形成所必需的，本研究的结果也可能对一些发育异常，如小眼睛等，提供一些启示。

Normal eye development depends on interactions between embryonic eye tissues. In the front part of the eye inductive interactions between lens and optic vesicle are important for the formation and growth of lens, ciliary body and iris. Our recent studies indicate that a family of developmentally important growth factors, the Wnts, plays key roles in this process. Our proposed studies will examine, for the first time, the role of Wnts in lens, ciliary body and iris development. Specific experimental outcomes will show if Wnts are important in promoting the formation and maintenance of the front part of the lens, the lens epithelium. The outcomes will also give us information on the molecules that mediate the effects of Wnts on lens cells and if regulatory factors from the lip of the optic cup-ciliary body can influence the pathways by which Wnts can influence the lens cells. In addition we will learn if lens-derived Wnts have a role in the formation of ciliary body and iris. Identifying factors that regulate the formation of eye tissues is fundamental to understanding the molecular basis of eye disease. For example, cataract is the most common cause of blindness in the world. Cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure and is placing an ever-increasing burden on health care budgets. Cataracts that most commonly require surgery usually involve abnormal growth and behaviour of lens cells such as occurs in posterior subcapsular cataract and posterior capsular opacification (also known as aftercataract because it occurs subsequently to cataract surgery). Identifying molecules and mechanisms that are involved in normal formation and growth of lens cells is fundamental to understanding these diseases. In addition, as it is well known that the lens is required for the normal formation of the front part of the eye, including the ciliary body and iris, results from this study may also shed light on some developmental abnormalities such as small eye.