Research Paper Volume 11, Issue 24 pp 12497—12531

Figure 10. Whole lens staining for F-actin (phalloidin, green) and nuclei (DAPI, red) in 4-month-old and 18-month-old lenses reveal that the actin cytoskeleton in epithelial cells and the formation of organized meridional rows of hexagonal equatorial epithelial cells is similar between 4-month-old and 18-month-old lenses. (A) Single XY planes through anterior epithelial cells show similar F-actin staining and organization of equatorial epithelial cells between 4-month-old and 18-month-old lenses. These cells have a network of basal F-actin, membrane-adjacent F-actin and sequestered actin bundles near the lateral membrane, and polygonal arrays on the apical surface. (B) Single XY planes through the meridional rows at the lens equator reveals organized hexagonally-shaped epithelial cells with normal membrane-adjacent F-actin networks and a basal meshwork of F-actin in the 4-month-old and 18-month-old lenses. These data reveal that fiber cell shape changes and disorganization in older lenses is not due to altered shape or misalignment of equatorial epithelial cells. Scale bar, 20μm.