IOVS British Journal of Pharmacology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 1973;12:354-365.)
© 1973 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by HUDSPETH, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by YEE, A. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by HUDSPETH, A. J.
Right arrow Articles by YEE, A. G.

The intercellular junctional complexes of retinal pigment epithelia

ALBERT J. HUDSPETH 1 and ANN G. YEE 1

1 Departments of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Harvard Medical School 25 Shattuck St., Boston, Mass. 02115

Previous studies of the retinal pigment epithelium have suggested that its cells are interconnected by typical arrays of intercellular junctions. Using both conventional and freezefracture electron microscopy, we have found on the contrary that pigment epithelial cells in a wide variety of vertebrates (goldfish, frog, newt, mudpuppy, turtle, chicken, mouse, cat, and monkey) in fact have unusual junctional complexes. In all these species, each cell is completely girdled by a zonula occludens (tight junction) and a zonula adherens (intermediate junction). In addition, very large, macular gap junctions occur within the region occupied by the zonula occludens. The zonula adherens partially overlaps the zonula occludens, and thereby modifies the membrane cleavage properties of the latter junction. This yields a novel freeze-fracture pattern; the strands and grooves normally encountered on cleavage faces at zonulae occludentes are disrupted and fragmented in the region of the zonula adherens. Physiologic experiments demonstrate that, as might be expected from the presence of numerous gap junctions, pigment epithelial cells are electrically coupled. Our results confirm that pigment epithelial cells are joined by extensive zonulae occludentes (which form the "R" membrane) and zonulae adherentes. In addition, they show that gap junctions occur widely in pigment epithelia and that, as a result, pigment epithelial cells are functionally in electrical continuity with one another

Key Words: pigment epithelium • electrical coupling • junctional complex • intercellular junctions • gap junction • zonula adherens • zonula occludens

Submitted on January 22, 1973
Accepted on February 20, 1973




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 IOVSHome page
P. Szurman, S. Roters, S. Grisanti, S. Aisenbrey, U. Schraermeyer, M. Luke, K. U. Bartz-Schmidt, and G. Thumann
Ultrastructural Changes after Artificial Retinal Detachment with Modified Retinal Adhesion
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., November 1, 2006; 47(11): 4983 - 4989.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
Y. Luo, Y. Zhuo, M. Fukuhara, and L. J. Rizzolo
Effects of Culture Conditions on Heterogeneity and the Apical Junctional Complex of the ARPE-19 Cell Line.
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., August 1, 2006; 47(8): 3644 - 3655.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
D. Zhang, M. Brankov, M. T. Makhija, T. Robertson, E. Helmerhorst, J. M. Papadimitriou, and P. E. Rakoczy
Correlation between Inactive Cathepsin D Expression and Retinal Changes in mcd2/mcd2 Transgenic Mice
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., September 1, 2005; 46(9): 3031 - 3038.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Cell Sci.Home page
C. Rahner, M. Fukuhara, S. Peng, S. Kojima, and L. J. Rizzolo
The apical and basal environments of the retinal pigment epithelium regulate the maturation of tight junctions during development
J. Cell Sci., July 1, 2004; 117(15): 3307 - 3318.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol.Home page
S. A. Rajasekaran, J. Hu, J. Gopal, R. Gallemore, S. Ryazantsev, D. Bok, and A. K. Rajasekaran
Na,K-ATPase inhibition alters tight junction structure and permeability in human retinal pigment epithelial cells
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, June 1, 2003; 284(6): C1497 - C1507.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Cell Sci.Home page
P deS Senanayake, A Calabro, K Nishiyama, J. Hu, D Bok, and J. Hollyfield
Glycosaminoglycan synthesis and secretion by the retinal pigment epithelium: polarized delivery of hyaluronan from the apical surface
J. Cell Sci., January 1, 2001; 114(1): 199 - 205.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol.Home page
Y. Ban and L. J. Rizzolo
Differential regulation of tight junction permeability during development of the retinal pigment epithelium
Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, September 1, 2000; 279(3): C744 - C750.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Cell Sci.Home page
I. Nabi, A. Mathews, L Cohen-Gould, D Gundersen, and E Rodriguez-Boulan
Immortalization of polarized rat retinal pigment epithelium
J. Cell Sci., January 1, 1993; 104(1): 37 - 49.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch OphthalmolHome page
W. Tasman
The Retina and Optic Nerve
Arch Ophthalmol, July 1, 1974; 92(1): 71 - 88.
[PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1973 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology