Müller (glial) cells but not astrocytes in the retina of the goldfish possess orthogonal arrays of particles

Abstract

Müller cells as the main glial component of the retina were investigated in the goldfish by means of ultrathin sections and freeze-fracture replicas. In the optic nerve head, they were directly compared with astrocytes. Whereas astrocytic endfeet bordering the vitreous body can easily be identified by their dense bundles of intermediate filaments, scarce membranous organelles, paravitreous caveolae, and lateral desmosomes, Müller cell endfeet reveal a looser arrangement of intermediate filaments, a characteristic pattern of triangularly shaped endoplasmic reticulum, large and pale mitochondria, and, if at all, very few desmosome-like junctions. The paravitreous membranes at the cytoplasmic face are covered by a fuzzy coat, which is less marked in astrocytic endfeet. Caveolae are lacking. Considering the freeze-fracture architecture of the membranes of both glial cell types, the Müller cells reveal orthogonal arrays of particles (OAP), which were predominantly located opposite to the inner limiting membrane; their density (109 +/- 33 OAP/microns 2) decreases abruptly with the loss of the contact between membrane and vitreous body. In contrast, astrocytes of the optic nerve head in the retina do not show any OAP in their membranes at all and are interconnected by tight junctions and desmosomes. The hypothesis suggesting that OAP might be correlated with K+ channels involved in the spatial buffering of the extracellular space is reconsidered with comparative reference to recent electrophysiological data. Further, the heterogeneity of Müller cell and astrocyte membrane equipment with OAP in the goldfish is briefly discussed.