Fig. 25. Proteoglycans of the zonular lamella and zonule. A. Zonular fiber layer (Z) and superficial lens capsule (S) stain more deeply for glycosaminoglycan than the rest of the capsule. LE, lens epithelium. (Alcian blue, × 1,000) B. Lens from a 6-month-old infant stained only with cuprolinic blue and uranyl acetate. The superficial capsule (S) shows heavy staining of thin stick-like aggregates of heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycan. Larger aggregates and a few smaller ones (arrows), primarily chondroitin sulfates, are seen on the capsular surface and around the periphery of zonular bundles (Z) (TEM, × 53,900).