Development of the visual system

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All the tissues of the eye, including the lens, the cornea, the ciliary body, the neuroretina and the retinal pigment epithelium must work in harmony for the realization of clear vision. The phenotypic emergence of each of these tissues requires intercellular communication, which is achieved through direct physical contact as well as through diffusion and reception of the molecular beacons. This volume provides an overview of the molecular and cellular biology of eye development and encompasses themes like early gene expression in the surface ectoderm and the optic cup, retinal neurogenesis, signaling molecules and axonal guidance. It presents new findings on the influence of the lens on the development of the visual system and how gene expression in the optic cup controls differentiation of the lens fiber cell while established ideas about the morphogenesis of the ciliary body are challenged. A valuable source of information for developmental biologists and neurobiologists as well as ophthalmologists interested in understanding the relationship between temporally and spatially regulated gene activity and function and cellular interactions in early development and neuronal functions.