Concanavalin A Promotes Regeneration of Processes of Isolated Ganglion Cells from the Adult Newt Retina

Abstract

Abstract Retinal cells dissociated from adult newt eyes were seeded onto plastic dishes which were coated with various cell adhesion substances. They were cultured in Leibovitz's L-15 medium with no serum. Concanavalin A (ConA) and poly-L-lysine (PLL) caused relatively good cell attachment, regardless of retinal cell types, in comparison with uncoated dishes. On the other hand, extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as collagen, fibronectin and laminin tended to inhibit the cell attachment. In both ConA- and PLL-coated dishes, ganglion cells survived for longer periods than other retinal cells and extended neurites with time in culture. The outgrowth of neurites by ganglion cells was found to be promoted to a far greater degree by ConA than PLL. Branching of neurites also appeared to occur more frequently on ConA. From these observations, ConA may be an useful tool for investigating retinal regeneration in vitro.