Summary
The fine structural differentiation of the retinal pigment epithelium of the albino goldfish (Carassius auratus) in several developmental stages and in the adult was studied. In the 5-mm larva, the retinal pigment cells contained granules whose cores are filled with conglomerates of electron-dense pigments, but they were never pigmented fully as in the control black moor goldfish. Most of the granules have a round or ovoid shape, but granules with an elongate, cigar-like form are occasionally observed. The internal membranous frame-work, which has been reported in unpigmented and lightly pigmented granules in melanocytes of other vertebrates, was rarely observed in the present study. The number of pigment granules increased during the early developmental stages, whereas they decreased conspicuously in the later stages.
From these results, the function of one of the albino genes p, is discussed and the following three phenomena are attributed to it: the decrease in formation of cigar-shaped granules, the partial inhibition of pigmentation, and the disintegration of pigment granules during the larval and post-larval stages.
In addition to the pigment granules, the differentiation and disappearance of other characteristic cytoplasmic organelles are described. The biological significance of the changes in many of these organelles remains in question.
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The authors wish to express their appreciation to Mrs. C. A. Mahi, The Hawaii University, for critical reading of the manuscript.
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Takeuchi, I.K., Kajishima, T. Pigment cell differentiation in albino goldfish. Cell Tissue Res. 155, 383–398 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222813
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00222813