Relationships between eye factors and lens-forming transformations in the cornea and pericorneal epidermis of larval Xenopus laevis

Abstract

Larval Xenopus laevis at stage 56 (Nieuwkoop and Faber, '56) were subjected to various types of lentectomy: (1) simple lentectomy, from the pupillary space after incision of outer and inner cornea; (2) lentectomy from the dorsal region of the eye; (3) lentectomy from the dorsal region of the eye and simultaneous incision of the outer cornea; (4) lentectomy from the dorsal region of the eye and simultaneous incision of the outer and inner cornea. The results obtained show that the outer cornea underwent lens-forming transformations only when the inner cornea had been incised, thus permitting outer cornea (Experiments I-IV). No lens regeneration occurred when the inner cornea was left intact (Experiments II, III). It was concluded that the factor(s) allowing the lens-forming transformations of the outer cornea is not an aspecific nutritional factor(s) but a more specific factor(s) that cannot reach the outer cornea when the inner cornea is intact. Therefore, the absence of the lens and sufficient nutrient available to the outer cornea are not enough to allow lens regeneration from the outer cornea. When lens removal was carried out through the dorsal part of the eye (Experiments III-IV) the lens regenerated from the pericorneal epidermis of this region in a large number of cases.