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The role of reflecting pigment cells in the turnover of crayfish photoreceptors

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Summary

The photoreceptors of the crayfish Procambarus clarkii undergo an extensive cycle of turnover in the late afternoon. Quantitative light and electron microscopy reveal a sharp increase in the fractional volume (i.e., density) of reflecting-pigment-cell granules and vacuoles shortly following late-afternoon photoreceptor turnover. The reflecting pigment cells (RPCs), which permanently reside within the crayfish retina, are shown to serve much the same function as the vertebrate pigment epithelium. The RPCs phagocytose partially digested photoreceptive microvilli and the ingested debris is degraded further into the granules and vacuoles which characterize these cells. Phagosome degradation appears to be mediated by Golgi complexes. Acid phosphatase appears to be involved in the initial rhabdom breakdown but not in the final reduction of RPC granules.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    W. Barry Piekos

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  1. W. Barry Piekos
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Barry Piekos, W. The role of reflecting pigment cells in the turnover of crayfish photoreceptors. Cell Tissue Res. 244, 645–654 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00212545

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