Haemopoietic phagocytes in the early differentiating avian retina
Cuadros, M.A.; García-Martín, M.; Martin, C.; Ríos, A.
Journal of Anatomy 177: 145-158
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8782 PMID: 1769889 Document Number: 387942
Specialized phagocytes appear in the early differentiating retina of avian embryos (3.5-5 days of incubation in the chick). These cells, which are characterized by morphological criteria, show intense acid phosphatase activity, and, in the quail, are labelled with MB-1 and QH-1 antibodies (which recognize cells of hemangioblastic lineage in the quail). Immunostaining of chick-quail yolk sac chimeras (a chick embryo grafted on a quail yolk sac) revealed that these cells derive from yolk sac haemopoietic precursors. Apparently the phagocytes move through the mesenchyme surrounding the eye, enter the vitreous body and traverse the basement membrane of the neuroepithelium at the optic disc region.