Hall M O
Science. 1978 Nov 3;202(4367):526-8. doi: 10.1126/science.568310.
Pigment epithelial cells in culture retain their ability to phagocytize rod outer segments. These cells phagocytize rod outer segments isolated from light-adapted rats, or from dark-adapted rats killed after the time at which the lights would normally be turned on. However, they phagocytize for fewer rod outer segments prepared in the dark from the retinas of rats killed before the onset of the normal light cycle. Phagocytosis of dark rod outer segments is variable, but that of light outer segments is reproducible. It is postulated that the effect of light is to synchronize the chemical events that occur at the surface of the rods to prepare them for phagocytosis. These processes also occur in the dark, but more slowly and irregularly than in the light.
培养中的色素上皮细胞保留了吞噬视杆细胞外节的能力。这些细胞能够吞噬从明适应大鼠或在正常开灯时间后处死的暗适应大鼠中分离出的视杆细胞外节。然而，它们吞噬从正常光照周期开始前处死的大鼠视网膜在黑暗中制备的视杆细胞外节的数量较少。暗视杆细胞外节的吞噬作用是可变的，但明视杆细胞外节的吞噬作用是可重复的。据推测，光的作用是使视杆细胞表面发生的化学事件同步，为吞噬作用做好准备。这些过程在黑暗中也会发生，但比在光照下更缓慢、更不规则。
