Fig. 3. Histology of SPARC-null lens at 1 month of age. Sections of wt and SPARC-null lenses were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Comparable regions of wt (A,C,E) and SPARC-null lenses (B,D,F) are shown. (C,D) center anterior region of cortex; (E,F) equatorial (bow) region of lens. Note that^+/+ and SPARC-null (^-/-) lenses are grossly indistinguishable, with the lens nucleus centrally located (A,B). A few of the fiber cells in the SPARC-null (^-/-) lens show altered morphology (arrows in D and F). Bar (A,B), 540 µm; bar (C-F), 36 µm.