ABSTRACT
Application of Boyd’s precipitin test showed the presence of lens antigens in extracts of pigment layer of the retina, ventral and dorsal parts of the iris, cornea, vitreous body, and in aqueous humour obtained from eyes in which the lens was removed 6-7 weeks prior to the test. Their presence was not detected in the neural layer of the retina, sclera, or in any other extra-ocular tissue (Table 1). Extracts prepared from lens-containing eyes showed exactly the same results.
The number of lens antigens in these tissues was determined by the agar diffusion technique of Ouchterlony and was found to vary from 2 to 7, depending on the source of tissue used (Table 2, Plate, figs. 1-6).
The antigens found in pigment layer of the retina, iris, cornea, vitreous body, and aqueous humour appeared to be identical to antigens found in the lens (Table 3, Plate, fig. 7).
Since iris, pigment layer of the retina, and cornea have the property to regenerate a lens after removal of the original lens, the obtained data suggest that there is a relationship between the lens regeneration capacity and the presence of antigens identical to those of the lens.
