Antibodies to alpha-fetoprotein disrupt histogenesis in cultured chick retinae.
alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) is an oncofetal antigen believed to play an important role in normal development and carcinogenesis but very little is known about such a role. We have investigated here the role of AFP in neural retina development by selectively neutralising AFP in vitro. AFP has been immunohistochemically located in different cells and layers of the retina during its development, 4-day-old embryos being the earliest developmental stage when AFP is detected in the growing ganglion cell layer. Seven-day-retinae treated with antibodies to AFP in organ culture for 3 days did not continue to develop in the same way that they do in the egg. Neither the plexiform layers nor the buds of photoreceptor cells were observed after this culture period. In contrast, 7-day retinae cultured in the presence of non-immune serum developed in a manner similar to retinae in ovo. We present here the first evidence, derived by selectively blocking AFP in vitro with specific antibodies for an essential role of AFP in the normal development of the chick retina.
Palazón
L S
LS
Unidad de Fetoproteínas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
Copado
M A
MA
Ruiz-Gutiérrez
V
V
Dorado
M
M
Rodríguez Burgos
A
A