Fig. 5. Normal optic vesicle patterning and abnormal gene expression in the optic nerves of ThyCreShh^n/c mice. (A-C,E-G) Pax2 expression detected by in situ hybridization in sections through the developing optic vesicle of E10 wild-type (A-C) and ThyCreShh^n/c (E-G) embryos. Pax2 expression and optic vesicle morphology appear normal in ThyCreShh^n/c when compared to wild-type littermates. Note that wild-type (C) and ThyCreShh^n/c (G) embryo sections were not exactly through the same frontal plane. By E12, wild-type (D) optic nerves contained Ntn1-expressing astrocyte lineage cells, but the neuroepithelial cells in the optic stalk of ThyCreShh^n/c embryos (H) were pigmented. Arrow indicates proximal optic stack with normal Ntn1 expression. (I-N) Cross sections through the optic nerve of E13 wild-type (I-K) and ThyCreShh^n/c (L-N) embryos analyzed for Pax2 (I,L), Pax6 (J,M) and Mitf (K,N) expression. Compared with wild-type, almost all the neuroepithelial cells in the optic nerves of ThyCreShh^n/c mice were pigmented and expressed Pax6 (M) and Mitf (N), but not Pax2 (L), and the pigmented cells were already separating to the periphery of the axons. (I-N) dorsal, top; ventral, bottom.

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