Figure 4

Panx1a mutant lenses have abnormal lens texture and focusing power

(A and B) Macroscopic comparison of Panx1a^+/+ and Panx1a^−/− eyes under the same lighting conditions.

(C) shows the light focus pattern through a control Panx1a^+/+ lens with the black arrow highlighting the 140 μm lens working distance.

(D) Illustrates the laser light passage through a defective Panx1a^−/− lens, where no distinct focal point is observed.

(E) demonstrates how the MATLAB code selects a region of interest (ROI) from the lens and calculates the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and mean intensity to analyze lens texture (scale bars, 500 μm).

(F and G) Histograms of representative healthy Panx1a^+/+ lens and a mutant lens.

(H–K) Estimation plots representing the FWHM and mean intensity in both groups, revealing that both FWHM and mean intensity were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the mutant group at 8-month-old and 1-year-old, indicating notable differences in the texture of healthy and Panx1a^−/− lenses, such as cataracts.

(L and M) Histology images of Panx1a^+/+ and Panx1a^−/− lens with different textures. Statistical analysis: Welch’s t test; Significance ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01, ∗∗∗p < 0.001, and ∗∗∗∗p < 0.0001. Scale bars, 500 μm.