Figure 1

Paraffin sections of the eyes of Le-Cre, Dic^flox/flox animals (A, C, E, G) compared with age-matched (one-month) wild-type littermates (B, D, FF H). Areas within solid boxes in (A) and (B) are shown in higher magnification in (C) and (D), respectively. The epithelium in (C) resembles the conjunctiva (conj), as evidenced by prominent goblet cells (arrows), and the stroma is vascularised (arrowheads); whereas the same region in the wild-type (D) clearly consists of a corneal epithelium (Co) and a stroma devoid of vessels and filled with keratocytes (arrows). Note the prominent lens (le) in the wild-type (B, D) that is conspicuously missing in the Le-Cre, Dic^flox/flox animals (A, C). Areas within the small-dashed rectangles in (A) and (B) are shown in higher magnification in (E) and (F), respectively. Epithelium in (E) and (F) is conjunctival, as evidence by the presence of goblet cells (arrows). Areas within the lagged-dashed squares in (A) and (B) are shown in higher magnification in (G) and (H), respectively. The mucocutaneous junctional epithelium of the eye lid (mcj) appears similar in the Le-Cre, Dic^flox/flox (G) and wild-type (H), except that the wild-type appears more heavily melanised. Portions of the meibomian gland (mg) and hair follicles (hf) are noted in this region from both mice.