title: Measurement of corneal sublayer thickness and transparency in transgenic mice with altered corneal clarity using in vivo confocal microscopy.
abstract: Measurement of sublayer thickness and transparency at cellular level in the living animal are critical to understanding the role of specific transgenes and transgene products in controlling corneal development and maintenance of transparency. Using two different transgenic mouse strains having altered corneal clarity, we have evaluated the ability of in vivo confocal microscopy to measure corneal haze and localize light scattering structures. Projection of 2-D and 3-D image information identified the nature and location of light scattering within the cornea and allowed correlation of unique structural differences to transgene expression. Our findings suggest that in vivo confocal microscopy can be used to identify the effects of transgene expression on mouse corneal transparency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-9057, USA. jester@crnjjsgi@swmed.edu
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Jester
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ghee Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chakravarti
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Petroll
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dwight Cavanagh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000502:physiology; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology*; D007632:Keratan Sulfate / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D000071234:Lumican; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; C000604307:Lum protein, mouse; D000071234:Lumican; D016212:Transforming Growth Factor beta; D007632:Keratan Sulfate