Central Role for the Lens in Cave Fish Eye Degeneration

• DOI: 10.1126/science.289.5479.631
• Publication Date: 2002-07-27T09:40:21Z
• Authors: Yoshiyuki Yamamoto; William R. Jeffery
• Keywords: Embryonic Induction; Homeodomain Proteins; 0301 basic medicine; Rhodopsin; 0303 health sciences; PAX6 Transcription Factor; Tumor Suppressor Proteins; Fishes; Apoptosis; Cell Differentiation; Eye; Biological Evolution; Retina; DNA-Binding Proteins; Repressor Proteins; 03 medical and health sciences; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; Lens, Crystalline; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Animals; Paired Box Transcription Factors; Eye Proteins

Astyanax mexicanus is a teleost with eyed surface-dwelling and eyeless cave-dwelling forms. Eye formation is initiated in cave fish embryos, but the eye subsequently arrests and degenerates. The surface fish lens stimulates growth and development after transplantation into the cave fish optic cup, restoring optic tissues lost during cave fish evolution. Conversely, eye growth and development are retarded following transplantation of a surface fish lens into a cave fish optic cup or lens extirpation. These results show that evolutionary changes in an inductive signal from the lens are involved in cave fish eye degeneration.