The formation of gap and tight junctions between retinal pigment cells in cell cultures

The reformation of the junctional complex of retinal pigment cells was studied after trypsin disaggregation and in vitro reaggregation. Control specimens show a zonula occludens (tight junction) with integrated gap junctions and very large macular gap junctions. Isolation after trypsination results in disaggregation of the large gap junctions and fragmentation of the tight junctions with disaggregation of their integrated gap junctions. After two to four days of incubation the restoration of the zonula occludens is complete. After approximately five days of incubation, large gap junctions are found with a patchy arrangement of particles similar to that seen in vivo.