Fig. 1

MIPfun partially rescues lens transparency, optics and lens nucleus centralization in aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? double mutants. Representative juvenile lenses dissected from wild type (A, D) (standard length (SL) 9.2 mm), aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? (B, E) (SL 11 mm) or transgenic aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? zebrafish stably overexpressing MIPfun (C, F) (SL 11.2 mm) are shown. Wild type lens imaged through the optical axis under brightfield (BF) or darkfield (DF) illumination are clear (A), whereas aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? double mutants lens (B) reveal severe nuclear cataract with cortical transparency defects and inability to focus a microgrid which is reduced with overexpression of MIPfun due improved refraction and focal ability (C). The same lenses from A to C were imaged perpendicular to the optical axis and used to display the relative localization of the lens nucleus (D?F). The measurement of the localization of the lens nucleus center in relation to the lens center is shown (E), where * = lens nucleus center, + = lens center, a = lens radius, and r = distance of center of lens nucleus from lens center. (G) Overexpression of MIPfun in aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? resulted in a more centrally localized lens nucleus compared with aqp0a?/?/aqp0b?/? at mid-age (SL = 9?17 mm), with no differences at shorter SL (<9 mm) or longer SL (>17 mm) stages. The mean axial nucleus localization at a mean SL = 12.87 mm ± 1.5 SD of normalized lens nucleus was statistically significantly different (P = 0.001) between the 2 groups, whereas there was no difference in the 2 slopes (P = 0.589). Scale bars = 250 µm.