Age-Dependent Differences in Cognin Regeneration on Embryonic Retina Cells

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Abstract
The retina cognin (a glycoprotein isolated from the surface membrane of neural retina cells of chick embryos and postulated to mediate self-recognition and histogenetic association of retina cells) was visualized by SEM [scanning electron microscope] on the surface of embryonic retina cells in vitro following immunolabeling of the cells with antibodies to the purified cognin and with polystyrene latex microbeads. Trypsin dissociation of retina tissue into separated cells resulted in cognin depletion from the cell surface; following incubation at 37.degree. C the cells regenerated the cognin. Regeneration was fastest and most abundant on cell from the youngest retinas it declined markedly with the embryonic age of the cells, suggesting an age-dependent decrease in cell capacity for cognin formation. Rate and amount of cognin regeneration of the cell surface are temporally-causally correlated with the capacity of the cells to reaggregate into retinotypic tissue. Apparently cognin functions in the mechanism of self-affinity and morphogenetic association of embryonic neural retina cells.