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The lens in focus: a comparison of lens development in Drosophila and vertebrates

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Abstract

The evolution of the eye has been a major subject of study dating back centuries. The advent of molecular genetics offered the surprising finding that morphologically distinct eyes rely on conserved regulatory gene networks for their formation. While many of these advances often stemmed from studies of the compound eye of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and later translated to discoveries in vertebrate systems, studies on vertebrate lens development far outnumber those in Drosophila. This may be largely historical, since Spemann and Mangold’s paradigm of tissue induction was discovered in the amphibian lens. Recent studies on lens development in Drosophila have begun to define molecular commonalities with the vertebrate lens. Here, we provide an overview of Drosophila lens development, discussing intrinsic and extrinsic factors controlling lens cell specification and differentiation. We then summarize key morphological and molecular events in vertebrate lens development, emphasizing regulatory factors and networks strongly associated with both systems. Finally, we provide a comparative analysis that highlights areas of research that would help further clarify the degree of conservation between the formation of dioptric systems in invertebrates and vertebrates.

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Abbreviations

CC:

Cone cell

PPC:

Primary pigment cell

MF:

Morphogenetic furrow

SMW:

Second mitotic wave

IOC:

Interommatidial cell

SPC:

Secondary pigment cell

TPC:

Tertiary pigment cell

PR:

Photoreceptor

PLE:

Presumptive lens ectoderm

AEL:

Anterior epithelial layer

PCP:

Planar cell polarity

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Acknowledgments

We thank Tien Le for vertebrate lens immunofluorescent images. We also wish to thank Ruth Ashery-Padan, Mike Robinson, Ross Cagan, Don Ready, and members of the Visual Systems Group at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for many insightful discussions on this topic. This work was supported by NIH RO1-EY18097 (NLB), and the Research to Prevent Blindness Foundation, the Ziegler Foundation for the Blind and NIH R01-EY017907 (TAC).

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  1. Divisions of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Mark Charlton-Perkins, Nadean L. Brown & Tiffany A. Cook

  2. Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45229, USA

    Mark Charlton-Perkins, Nadean L. Brown & Tiffany A. Cook

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  1. Mark Charlton-Perkins
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Correspondence to Tiffany A. Cook.

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Communicated by J. Graw.

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Charlton-Perkins, M., Brown, N.L. & Cook, T.A. The lens in focus: a comparison of lens development in Drosophila and vertebrates. Mol Genet Genomics 286, 189 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00438-011-0643-y

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