Late proliferation and photoreceptor differentiation in the transforming lamprey retina

Lamprey eyes exhibit dual retinal development, with highly different larval and adult phases. Here, cell proliferation and photoreceptor differentiation was investigated in late larvae and during transformation (occurring several years after egg hatching) by using immunohistochemistry against the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and opsins. In large larvae proliferating cells are mainly located in the lateral retina, a wide undifferentiated region, whereas opsin immunoreactivity revealed only a single type of photoreceptors in the very small central retina. In premetamorphic larvae, retinal cell proliferation increases considerably, but at metamorphosis it becomes progressively restricted to the periphery of the lateral retina. Proliferating (PCNA-immunoreactive) cells were mainly observed in the inner nuclear layer but also in the outer plexiform layer and outer nuclear layer, suggesting that the latter proliferating cells migrate to the outer nuclear layer and differentiate into photoreceptors. In the lateral retina, first photoreceptors expressing opsins were observed at middle metamorphic stages, and outer and inner segments were present at latter stages. Some immature photoreceptors were also observed in postmetamorphic retina. Unlike teleost and amphibian retinas, no proliferating cells were observed in the retina after metamorphosis, indicating that the retinal growth after this period is due to cellular reorganization and increase in cell size.