Distribution of Müller cells in the turtle retina: an immunocytochemical study

Müller cells are the major type of glial cell in the vertebrate retina, and appear to participate in important structural and metabolic functions. Although the morphological features of Müller cells have been extensively studied, their topographic distribution across the retina has not been previously reported. We have used a Müller cell-specific monoclonal antibody, 19-33, to study the distribution of Müller cells in turtle retina. The antibody was obtained during a search for cell type-specific monoclonal antibodies in the rat retina. Immunoblotting studies show that 19-33 reacts with a 58 KDa protein that is present in Müller cells. Immunocytochemical studies with en face sections of turtle retina show that the density of Müller cells is fairly uniform across the retina although there are small regional differences. We estimate that the mean Müller cell density is about 1600 cells mm-2 of turtle retina and that each turtle retina contains about 54,000 Müller cells.