Lukas Sommer, from the Institute of Cell Biology at the ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, heading an international team including Lars Ittner, used in vivo cell fate mapping in mice. They show that NC-derived cells can be found in the eye vesicle of mouse embryos, soon after it is formed. NC-derived cells subsequently contribute to various structures of the developing eye, and Ittner et al. show for the first time an NC contribution to the primary vitreous.
TGFbeta receptor type 2, Tgfbr2, was inactivated to study the importance of the signaling pathway in NC-derived cells. In these mice, the eyes were reduced in size and the lens and cornea failed to separate. The authors show that TGFbeta signaling is crucial for proper differentiation and morphogenesis of NC-derived cells in eye structures. Conceivably, TGFbeta might be able to support differentiation not only during eye development but also at later stages. If so, this might open up new strategies for promoting regeneration of eye structures, for example in patients suffering from loss of corneal transparency.
Journal of Biology