The primary ultrastructural defect caused by anophthalmic white (Wh) in the Syrian hamster

Anophthalmic white (Wh) of the Syrian hamster is a highly pleiotropic dominant spotting color mutation causing homozygotes to be deaf, blind, and white. An ultrastructural analysis of embryonic tissue reveals that Wh causes the retention of cilia by cells of opposing layers of the embryonic retina and by the lens fiber cells. Previous ultrastructural analyses indicate that Wh also causes the retention of cilia by secretory cells of the anterior lobe of adult pituitaries. We propose that the primary ultrastructural defects caused by Wh is the retention of cilia by embryonic cells. These retained cilia are hypothesized to interfere with normal cell-cell interactions and subsequent cell differentiation.