Figure 1. Sorbitol induced changes in the morphology of late RPCs

Panels A and B show phase contrast images of control RPCs and sorbitol treated RPCs. Control RPC cultures grown in CM media for 12-16 h grew as an undifferentiated monolayer with a few cells giving out short processes (A, 600x). However, in the sorbitol treated cultures where CM was replaced with differentiation media after 12-16 h and the cells were grown in this media for 7 days, most of the cells adopted a bipolar, spindle shaped morphology. They became asymmetrical with elongated cell bodies often giving rise at one pole to relatively wide cytoplasmic expansions resembling endfeet, and at the opposite pole to a long smooth process terminating in a growth cone (B, 600x).