There are many different structures in our eyes that work in conjunction to allow us to see. These structures are strikingly similar between different species, from zebrafish to humans. The growth of ocular tissues must be tightly controlled in order to maintain the correct eye size and shape that allow us to see. This tight regulation has intrigued developmental biologists for decades.

The lens of the eye focuses incoming light on the retina, which then converts the light into electrical signals allowing us to see. Two distinct cell types comprise the lens: epithelial cells, which cover the front, or anterior, portion of the lens, and fiber cells, which populate the back, or posterior, portion. It has been shown that epithelial cells proliferate in the anterior half of the lens and move towards the posterior half, differentiating, or transforming, into fiber cells when they reach the equator between the two halves. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms that drive this movement, the Developmental Neurobiology Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), led by Prof. Ichiro Masai, employed time–lapse imaging techniques to observe real time lens development in zebrafish.

Their results were recently published in the journal Development.