TY - JOUR
T1 - Permeability of retinal pigment epithelial cell junctions in the dystrophic rat retina
AU - Caldwell, Ruth B.
AU - McLaughlin, Barbara J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Lesly A. Wade and Rebecca H. Krell for assistance with preparation of the manuscript. This investigation was supported by USPHS Grant EY 02853 from the National Eye Institute.
PY - 1983/3
Y1 - 1983/3
N2 - We have studied permeability of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell junctions in Royal College of Surgeons rats with inherited retinal degeneration, and their genetic controls, using the horseradish peroxidase and lanthanum nitrate electron microscope tracer techniques. We find that early in the dystrophic process, at two postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina and three postanatal weeks in the black-eyed retina, RPE cell tight junctions form a barrier to extracellular tracer. However, at three postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina, at about the same time that degenerating photoreceptor nuclei begin to appear, RPE cell tight junctions become permeable. The permeability increase occurs later in the black-eyed strain, but by six postnatal weeks junctions are permeable in both strains. By 72 postnatal days, when most photoreceptor nuclei have disappeared, many RPE cells are abnormal in shape, with an elongated and flattened appearance, and some appear to have lost their junctions entirely. In the horseradish peroxidase experiments, many pinocytotic vesicles filled with reaction product were observed in the dystrophic RPE after the junctional breakdown. This suggests that an increase in transcellular transport may also occur in the dystrophic RPE.
AB - We have studied permeability of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell junctions in Royal College of Surgeons rats with inherited retinal degeneration, and their genetic controls, using the horseradish peroxidase and lanthanum nitrate electron microscope tracer techniques. We find that early in the dystrophic process, at two postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina and three postanatal weeks in the black-eyed retina, RPE cell tight junctions form a barrier to extracellular tracer. However, at three postnatal weeks in the pink-eyed retina, at about the same time that degenerating photoreceptor nuclei begin to appear, RPE cell tight junctions become permeable. The permeability increase occurs later in the black-eyed strain, but by six postnatal weeks junctions are permeable in both strains. By 72 postnatal days, when most photoreceptor nuclei have disappeared, many RPE cells are abnormal in shape, with an elongated and flattened appearance, and some appear to have lost their junctions entirely. In the horseradish peroxidase experiments, many pinocytotic vesicles filled with reaction product were observed in the dystrophic RPE after the junctional breakdown. This suggests that an increase in transcellular transport may also occur in the dystrophic RPE.
KW - blood-retinal barrier
KW - dystrophic rat
KW - electron microscope tracers
KW - horseradish peroxidase
KW - lanthanum nitrate
KW - permeability
KW - retinal pigment epithelium
KW - tight junctions
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U2 - 10.1016/0014-4835(83)90123-9
DO - 10.1016/0014-4835(83)90123-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 6832232
AN - SCOPUS:0020535623
SN - 0014-4835
VL - 36
SP - 415
EP - 427
JO - Experimental eye research
JF - Experimental eye research
IS - 3
ER -