Retinoid effects in purified cultures of chick embryo retina neurons and photoreceptors.

Abstract

Retinol, 11-cis retinaldehyde, and retinoic acid can promote the survival (and possibly differentiation) of cultured embryonic retina neurons and photoreceptors in the absence of glia and retinal pigment epithelium. Although retinoic acid is likely to function by interacting with one of the known nuclear receptors for this retinoid, the effectiveness of retinol in the absence of metabolic transformation into retinoic acid suggests the possible existence of a distinct, yet undiscovered receptor.