Figure 1. Cell-cell interactions in developing retina

Schematic representation of the complex cell-cell interactions during formation of human retinal vasculature showing how neurons, astrocytes, and pericytes all play a role in influencing the formation of blood vessels. For each class of cells and the vasculature, maturation along the differentiation pathway is shown from left to right. The proposed molecular intercellular signals where known are shown with their functional interactions. All data shown are from human retina with the exception of pericytes which are from rat retina.