Abstract
Purpose: :
Some types of congenital cataracts respond to a genetic defect that alters the embryonic development of the lens. Based on in situ hybridization (ISH), preliminary results from our group suggest that HOX11L1, one of the genes involved in the process, expresses during the development of the lens in mouse tissue. The purpose of this study is to identify the expression of TLX2, a protein encoded by this gene.
Methods: :
For this purpose we used mouse embryonic and adult eyecups that were prepared for immunofluorescence analyses. Embryos eyecups were obtained at E14, E16 and E18 stages post-fertilization.
Results: :
The immunofluorescence analyses showed that TLX2 protein is expressed in epithelial cells of the mouse lens at all chosen embryonic stages. This protein is preferentially expressed at anterior and equatorial regions of the lens. These results are consistent at all analyzed embryonic stages.
Conclusions: :
TLX2, a protein encoded by the HOX11L1 gene, is expressed during the embryonic development of the mouse lens. The fact that this expression is silenced after birth, suggests that this protein could play an important role during the embryonic development of the lens.
Keywords: gene/expression • immunohistochemistry • development