Fig. 7. Le-Cre-mediated deletion of Cited2. (A-D) Le-Cre transgene-mediated recombination of floxed Cited2 alleles was revealed by lacZ staining in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre⁺ developing mouse lens at 9.5 (A), 10.5 (B) and 11.5 (C) dpc, which is in contrast to the negative lacZ staining pattern in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre^- control eyes (D). (E,F) Macroscopic examination revealed smaller eyes and failure to form the anterior chamber in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre⁺ embryos (F) as compared with those from Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre^- embryos (E) at 6 weeks of age. (G-L) H&E staining of cross-sections revealed failed separation of the lens from the cornea in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre⁺ eyes (arrow in H) as compared with the normal histology in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre^- eyes (G) at 6 weeks of age. In addition, abnormal retrolenticular tissue (boxed) was also detected in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre⁺ eyes (J) as compared with Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre^- controls (I). Higher magnification of boxed retrolenticular tissue from J shows melanocytes and aberrant blood vessels (K). Immunostaining for -SMA (red) and counterstaining with DAPI (blue) demonstrates -SMA-positive pericytes surrounding the blood vessels in Cited2^flox/flox;Le-Cre⁺ eyes (L). R, retina.