A full lifespan model of vertebrate lens growth.

The mathematical determinants of vertebrate organ growth have yet to be elucidated fully. Here, we utilized empirical measurements and a dynamic branching process-based model to examine the growth of a simple organ system, the mouse lens, from E14.5 until the end of life.

A stochastic model of eye lens growth.

The size and shape of the ocular lens must be controlled with precision if light is to be focused sharply on the retina. The lifelong growth of the lens depends on the production of cells in the anterior epithelium. At the lens equator, epithelial cells differentiate into fiber cells, which are added to the surface of the existing fiber cell mass, increasing its volume and area.

The penny pusher: a cellular model of lens growth.

Purpose: The mechanisms that regulate the number of cells in the lens and, therefore, its size and shape are unknown. We examined the dynamic relationship between proliferative behavior in the epithelial layer and macroscopic lens growth.

Methods: The distribution of S-phase cells across the epithelium was visualized by confocal microscopy and cell populations were determined from orthographic projections of the lens surface.