A mechanism for the guidance and topographic patterning of retinal ganglion cell axons

Three dimensional reconstruction, with the use of serial, 1-micrometer sections, has revealed a system of oriented intercellular spaces within the undifferentiated optic cup. These large openings appear in the marginal zone of the primitive retina and optic stalk prior to the formation of the first retinal ganglion cell axons. The spaces at the region of the optic disc form sets of long, interconnecting tunnels oriented in the direction of the stalk. The spaces at the back and rim of the cup form blind, radially arranged pockets. The extracellular tunnels of the optic disc region strictly maintain their positions in relation to the optic fissure and, thus, discrete portions of the retina become connected by continuous openings with equivalent regions in the stalk. The path taken by the earliest outgrowing optic fibers is identical to the one previously established by the intercellular tunnels. We propose that the tunnel and pocket layout may provide directional and topographic information to the first forming optic axons.