To determine the possible involvement of Wnt signaling in eye development, we analyzed the expression patterns of Wnts and Wnt inhibitors in the chicken eye at stage 25, when the first wave of neural crest migration into the cornea begins, and stage 27, just prior to the second wave of neural crest migration. Wnt expression is developmentally regulated in the chicken eye, and antagonists of Wnt signaling are generally expressed in patterns that are temporally distinct from the Wnts. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.