Purification and culture of retinal ganglion cells from rodents.

Here we describe methods for acute purification of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from rodent retina by immunopanning, followed by culture in serum-free medium. Though the method was initially established and verified with rats, we have included modifications for the purification of mouse RGCs. This protocol is written for isolation of cells from one litter of pups. All of the volumes and numbers of panning plates should be scaled according to the number of litters used, particularly for rat RGCs.