Abstract
The transparent vertebrate lens is a unique organ, compared only of elongated fibre cells and an anterior layer of epithelial cells, enclosed in a collagenous capsule. It is entirely devoid of blood vessels and innervation, and obtains all nutrients from the perifusing aqueous humor. In the process of differentiation the elongating fibre cells loose their nuclei and most organelles. The lens continues to grow throughout life, albeit at a very low rate in the adult. The fibre cells are never broken down or replaced. As a consequence the core, or nucleus, of the adult lens consists of the oldest cells, stemming from embryonic and foetal stages, while towards the periphery, or cortex, the cells become gradually younger.
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References
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© 1986 Plenum Press, New York
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de Jong, W.W. (1986). Crystallins: The Families of Eye Lens Proteins. In: Clayton, R.M., Truman, D.E.S. (eds) Coordinated Regulation of Gene Expression. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2245-0_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-2245-0_26
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