An immuno-fluorescent study of lens regeneration in larval Xenopus laevis

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Abstract
The appearance and localization of lens antigens in lens regenerating from the cornea of larval Xenopus laevis were investigated by the fluorescent antibody technique. The cornea of the normal eye was not stained by the antiserum used, but lens antigens were detected in the cytoplasm of cells of the inner layer of the corneal epithelium overlying the pupillary space within 24 hr. of lens removal. In the cells of the lens vesicle, before fibre formation, the labelling, which was over the cytoplasm, was weak, except for small areas of cells at the posterior margin of the vesicle from which the primary lens fibres are formed. The most intense fluorescence appears over the fibres and is stronger in older fibres, whether primary or secondary. The lens epithelium is always unlabelled. The limitations of the technique are considered and the results are discussed in the light of other immunological data on normally developing and regenerating lens.