SPARC-null lens epithelial cells display changes in cell shape and alignment in comparison with wild-type cells. Sections from similar areas of wild-type and SPARC-null lens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Cortical fibers from a 3-month-old wild-type lens (a) are regular and precisely aligned, whereas those from a SPARC-null lens (b) are irregular in shape and alignment. Magnification, ×220.