Understanding photoreceptor outer segment phagocytosis: use and utility of RPE cells in culture
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RPE cells are the most actively phagocytic cells in the human body. In the eye, RPE cells face rod and cone photoreceptor outer segments at all times but contribute to shedding and clearance phagocytosis of distal outer segment tips only once a day. Analysis of RPE phagocytosis in situ has succeeded in identifying key players of the RPE phagocytic mechanism. Phagocytic processes comprise three distinct phases, recognition/binding, internalization, and digestion, each of which is regulated separately by phagocytes. Studies of phagocytosis by RPE cells in culture allow specifically analyzing and manipulating these distinct phases to identify their molecular mechanisms. Here, we compare similarities and differences of primary, immortalized, and stem cell-derived RPE cells in culture to RPE cells in situ with respect to phagocytic function. We discuss in particular potential pitfalls of RPE cell culture phagocytosis assays. Finally, we point out considerations for phagocytosis assay development for future studies.
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Human, rat, and mouse RPE cells in culture can phagocytose OS membrane isolated from retinas of mice, rats, cows or pigs, with no obvious differences among species, suggesting mechanistic robustness across species.
“However, human, rat, and mouse RPE cells in culture can phagocytose OS membrane isolated from retinas of mice, rats, cows or pigs, with no obvious differences among species, suggesting mechanistic robustness across species (Mazzoni et al., 2014)”
From The cell biology of the retinal pigment epithelium (2020) · cites this paper as Mazzoni et al., 2014
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References 104 · Cited by 221
- Authors
- Mazzoni, F., Safa, H., & Finnemann, S. C.
- Affiliations
- Fordham University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Finnemann, Silvia C.
- Venue
- Experimental Eye Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2014-09
- Volume
- 126
- Pages
- 51-60
- ISSN
- 0014-4835 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4145030
- OpenAlex
- W1976263073
- Cited by
- 221
- References
- 104
- Citations by year
- 2026: 12 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 4
- FWCI
- 2.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Experimental Eye Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (R01-EY13295)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Retinal Diseases and Treatments
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Phagocytosis and Immune Regulation
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Retinal Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- retinal pigment epithelium, photoreceptor outer segment phagocytosis, rod and cone photoreceptors
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cells, Cultured, Humans, Models, Biological, Phagocytosis, Phagosomes, Stem Cells, Signal Transduction, Models, Animal, Retinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer Segment
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