Histological analysis of anterior eye development in the brown anole lizard (Anolis sagrei)

For all vertebrates, the anterior eye structures work together to protect and nourish the eye while ensuring that light entering the eye is correctly focused on the retina. However, the anterior eye structure can vary significantly among different vertebrates, reflecting how the structures of the anterior eye have evolved to meet the specific visual needs of different vertebrate species. Although conserved pathways regulate fundamental aspects of anterior eye development in vertebrates, there may also be species-specific differences underlying structural variation. Our knowledge of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the development of structures of the anterior eye comes mainly from work in mammals, chicks, some amphibians, and small teleosts such as zebrafish. Our understanding of anterior eye development would benefit from comparative molecular studies in diverse vertebrates. A promising lizard model is the brown anole, Anolis sagrei, which is easily raised in the laboratory and for which genome editing techniques exist. Here, we provide a detailed histological analysis of the development of the anterior structures of the eye in A. sagrei, which include the cornea, iris, ciliary body, lens, trabecular meshwork, and scleral ossicles. The development of the anterior segment in anoles follows a pattern similar to other vertebrates. The lens forms first, followed by the cornea, iris, ciliary body, and tissues involved in the outflow of the aqueous humor. The development of the iris and ciliary body begins temporally and then proceeds nasally. Scleral ossicle development is generally comparable to that reported for chicks and turtles. Anoles have a remarkably thin cornea and a flat ciliary body compared to the eyes of mammals and birds. This study highlights several features in anoles and represents a deeper understanding of reptile eye development.