Scanning electron microscopy of developing photoreceptors in the chick retina

Photoreceptor morphogenesis in the sensory retina of chicks of 2 to 20 days incubation age was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and correlative transmission electron microscopy (TEM). At 9.5 days spherical inner segments extend into the subretinal space (optic ventricle). They are randomly arranged with chiefly smooth surfaces and contain centrioles, polyribosomes and microtubules. Microvilli project primarily from Müller cells. By the twelfth day immature ellipsoid and myoid regions have formed. Microvilli are abundant on the lateral surfaces of inner segments and extend over the entire spherical surface by the fifteenth day. Occasional cilia with surrounding depressions at their bases were also observed. Inner segments are more symmetrically arranged due to close proximity of photoreceptor cells. Inner segments elongate during the sixteenth day; many display a transitional ovoid form. Microvilli become less numerous but some persist as calycal processes. By the eighteenth day, conical shaped outer segments appear. Thereafter, all photoreceptor cells are comparable to those in the mature retina. Abundant microvilli on the external surface of the sensory retina suggest a supportive role in supplying adequate nutrition to the sensory retina during morphogenesis. The establishment and continual development of the ellipsoid and myoid appear to be primarily responsible for the elongation of photoreceptor cells.