Quantitative study of phagocytosis by chick ciliary epithelia in tissue culture
Ono, H.; Mishima, H.
Nippon Ganka Gakkai Zasshi 89(2): 383-390
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-0203 PMID: 4003220 Document Number: 263157
The capability of ciliary non-pigmented epithelia (NPE) and pigmented epithelia (PE) of chick embryos to maintain their functional integrity in culture was investigated. Primary cultures of NPE and PE were maintained in the culture system for an extended period of time. Cultured NPE and PE were incubated at 37.degree. C from 20 min. to 72 h. with latex microspheres (1.091 .mu.m in diameter) in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum. Light microscopy and EM verified that the microspheres were indeed internalized by cultured NPE and PE. Microspheres counts were made on 1000 cell profiles of serial 2.0 .mu.m-thick sections under light microscopy (.times. 1000) for each time period. The number of microspheres in the PE profile was 0.06 .+-. 0.03 after 20 min, of incubation and 12.92 .+-. 2.49 after 72 h. Cultured NPE, however, phagocytized very few micropheres during that same time period. This study shows that some functional differences continue to exist between NPE and PE in culture.