Eye and lens phenotypes of αB-R120G knock-in mice.

<p>Eyes were dilated in non-anesthetized mice and examined using a slit lamp. <i>A)</i> Slit lamp micrographs of 5-week-old mice. <i>Left panel</i>, wild-type mice with clear lenses. <i>Middle panel</i>, heterozygous αB-R120G knock-in mice displaying low-grade opacities in the nuclear and posterior regions of the lens. <i>Right panel</i>, homozygous αB-R120G knock-in mice with prominent opacity in the lens nucleus (stage 3) and the small eye phenotype. The dotted line shows the outline of the eye. <i>B)</i> Lens opacity and corneal abnormality in 10-month-old αB-R120G mouse eyes. <i>Top left</i>, wild-type. <i>Top right</i>, left eye. <i>Bottom left</i>, right eye of an αB-R120G heterozygous mutant mouse. <i>Bottom right</i>, eye of homozygous mutant mouse showing complete (stage 4) opacity. <i>C)</i> Corneal abnormality in αB-R120G heterozygous mutant mouse eye. The wild type eye was normal. <i>D)</i> Immunoblot analysis of lens water-soluble and water-insoluble proteins using an antibody specific for αB-crystallin. <i>E)</i> Histological analysis of αB-R120G heterozygous lenses. Lens sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). <i>Top panel</i>, wild-type lens with normal epithelial and fiber cell morphology. <i>Middle panel</i>, an αB-R120G heterozygous lens with a multilayered region of cells. <i>Lower panel</i>, a higher magnification image of the multilayerd region shown in the rectangle of the <i>middle panel</i>. <i>F, G)</i> Immunofluorescence analysis of major intrinsic protein (MIP) expression in wild-type and αB-R120G heterozygous knock-in lenses. <i>F)</i> Mid-sagittal lens sections stained with anti-MIP (AQP0) to visualize fiber cell membranes. Equatorial region of the lens. Sections of wild-type <i>(left panel)</i> and homozygous <i>(right panel)</i> lenses are shown. Visualization of fiber cell membranes at the onset of differentiation (cell elongation) region. <i>G)</i>. Cross-sections of anterior cortical fibers of the lens. Sections of wild-type <i>(left panel)</i> and heterozygous <i>(right panel)</i> lenses are shown.