Figure 6. Distribution of Prox1 protein during the development of lens regeneration in a rat model. Immunostaining for the Prox1 protein (green) with nuclear counterstain DAPI (blue). Prox1 protein, normally found in epithelial cells and lens fibers, appears similar in lens regeneration and normal lens development. Note that the anterior capsule adheres to the posterior capsule on day 3 (A, B), the fiber differentiation is obvious on day 7 (C, D), and the Prox1 is found in the LECs and differentiating lens fibers on day 14 (E, F). One month after ECLE, Prox1 is mainly located in the nucleus of LECs and to a lesser extent the cytoplasm of LECs in the region of anterior capsule (G, H; I, J). While in the germinative zone, Prox1 is absolutely located in the nucleus of LECs, in the lens fiber cells, Prox1 is strictly located in the nucleus. Three months after ECLE, Prox1 is mainly expressed in the transition zone (K, L). Abbreviations: e, lens epithelium; f, lens fiber cells; t, transition zone.