Effects of concanavalin A on developing ganglion cells in the retina of chick embryos

The administration of concanavalin A (Con A) (50-200 microgram/egg) to chick embryos between the third and the seventh day of incubation has the following effects on the retina: (1) Con A causes the degeneration of a large number of ganglion cells and consequently the layer that should be formed by these cells is not present or is constituted only by a small number of ganglion cells. (2) The lectin seems to be effective only when it is administered during the postmitotic phase of the ganglion cells. (3) The degenerated cells are phagocytosed by the Müller cells in a manner similar to that occurring during the natural cell death in normal retinal development. (4) The differentiation of other retinal elements (photoreceptors, bipolar, amacrine and Müller cells) is not affected by the lectin administration. (5) The administration of Con A in later stages of development, even at ten times higher dosages (2000 microgram/egg), fails to affect retinal neurogenesis. It is suggested that Con A binding to receptor sites of the cell membrane affects the distribution or mobility of surface components producing an alteration in the mechanism by which the developing cells regulate positional information during retinal neurogenesis.