Teleost eyes: The role of the developing lens in skeletal development

Abstract

The development of the eye is a complex process involving many signaling events. Previous research has suggested that the developing lens may influence the ocular skeleton in the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, which exists as two morphs; one sighted and one blind. In sighted tetras, the sclera ossicles develop from a scleral cartilage template whereas in blind tetras only scleral cartilage is present. We ablated the lens in sighted tetras in order to understand the relationship between the developing lens and ocular skeleton. Two methods of surgical lens removal were used; manual removal with tungsten needles and laser removal. This resulted in one eyed fish. Histological and whole‐mount analyses of these one‐eyed fish suggests that the lens may have the capacity to regenerate, yet, surprisingly the ocular skeleton is still affected. In situ hybridizations with key genes involved in skeletal development within condensations and comparative analyses in zebrafish, Danio rerio, will also be presented. The capacity of a soft tissue to influence the skeleton in this way is intriguing. Funding provided by NSERC, Canada.Grant Funding SourceNSERC