Developmental eye and neural tube defects in the eye blebs mouse

In the mouse, eye blebs (eb) is a spontaneous mutation that presents a useful model for the study of abnormal eye development. Since its initial description three decades ago, little information has been generated regarding the developmental course of eb eyes. Although the gene for eb has not been identified, much can be learned from the developmental defects present in the eb mouse. First detected in the eye at embryonic day 11.5 (E11.5), the eb defect is observed as an increased vascularization throughout the developing eye and head region. As development proceeds, the embryonic eye fills with blood, and the resulting hematoma distorts the shape of the iris. The eyelids fail to close, and animals are born with open eyes. Lens degeneration and retinal folding are characteristic of eb, as are microphthalmia and thick, disorganized irises. A second presentation of the eb defect is disruption of neural tube closure in the anterior and hindbrain neuropores. These eb animals are born with open neural tubes but with apparently normal eyes.