What are the two main cell populations in the lens?

What are the two main cell populations in the lens?

• A. Lens epithelial cells and lens fibers
• B. Iris sphincter cells and ciliary epithelium
• C. Retinal neurons and glia
• D. Corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes

Answer: (A)

The lens is organized into two main cell populations: a layer of anterior lens epithelial cells and the long, terminally differentiated lens fiber cells that fill the rest of the lens. The epithelial cells sit on the front surface and continuously divide. Some of these cells differentiate into fiber cells, elongate, and migrate toward the center, where they become mature lens fibers. These fiber cells lose their nuclei and other organelles to reduce light scattering, packing tightly to create the transparent, highly ordered structure that enables focusing light. This combination of a proliferative epithelial layer and a dense population of mature fiber cells is what defines the lens’s cellular makeup. Other tissues mentioned belong to different parts of the eye. The iris sphincter cells and ciliary epithelium are part of the iris and ciliary body, not the lens. Retinal neurons and glia reside in the retina, and corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes are in the cornea.

The lens is organized into two main cell populations: a layer of anterior lens epithelial cells and the long, terminally differentiated lens fiber cells that fill the rest of the lens. The epithelial cells sit on the front surface and continuously divide. Some of these cells differentiate into fiber cells, elongate, and migrate toward the center, where they become mature lens fibers. These fiber cells lose their nuclei and other organelles to reduce light scattering, packing tightly to create the transparent, highly ordered structure that enables focusing light. This combination of a proliferative epithelial layer and a dense population of mature fiber cells is what defines the lens’s cellular makeup.

Other tissues mentioned belong to different parts of the eye. The iris sphincter cells and ciliary epithelium are part of the iris and ciliary body, not the lens. Retinal neurons and glia reside in the retina, and corneal endothelial cells and keratocytes are in the cornea.