Fig. S8

Pax6 expression in SU5402-treated wild-type and rw341 mutant lenses

(A, B) Pax6 and PCNA expression of wild-type (A) and rw341 mutant (B) lenses treated with either DMSO or SU5402. Bottom two large panels indicate higher magnification indicated in squares of the upper panels of SU5402-treated lenses. In DMSO-treated wild type, Pax6 is expressed in lens epithelium, and PCNA is expressed in lens epithelial cells as well as early differentiating lens fiber cells, the latter of which partially overlap with Prox1 expressing cells. In SU5402-treated wild-type lenses, many PCNA-positive cells are located along the posterior margin of the lens fiber region and these cells express Pax6 (A, arrows), suggesting that these PCNA-positive cells maintain lens epithelial cell fate. In DMSO- and SU5402-treated rw341 mutants, Pax6 expression is low in anterior multilayered lens cells. SU5402-treated rw341 mutants, many PCNApositive cells accumulated along the margin of posterior lens fiber core, but, in contrast to SU5402-treated wildtype lenses, these cells did not express Pax6 (B, open arrows). Since these PCNA cells express Prox1 (Fig. 4C), they enter early stage of lens fiber cell differentiation.