Dopamine modulates S-potential amplitude and dye-coupling between external horizontal cells in carp retina

Haloperidol suppresses light-induced spinule formation and biphasic responses of horizontal cells in fish (roach) retina

In retinae of lower vertebrates, negative feed-back interactions between horizontal cells (second-order neurones), and cone photoreceptors lead to generation of spectrally multi-phasic light-evoked responses (S-potentials) in horizontal cells. Spinules (finger-like extensions of horizontal cell dendrites) have been suggested to mediate these interactions in retinae of teleost fish. We have studied whether prevention of light-dependent spinule formation would indeed affect an S-potential component (the red-sensitive depolarization in H2 horizontal cells), known to depend on such negative feed-back. Haloperidol was used as a dopamine antagonist to suppress light-induced formation of spinules in retinae of the cyprinid fish, the roach. In normal (untreated) retinae, biphasic S-potentials were strongly depolarizing and horizontal cell dendrites possessed abundant spinules. However, following application of haloperidol to the vitreous prior to light adaptation, spinule formation was suppressed, and concomitantly, red-sensitive depolarizing S-potentials remained significantly under-developed. The results are consistent, therefore, with the idea that spinules mediate the negative feed-back interaction between horizontal cells and cones.

Localization of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the teleost retina: effects of dopamine and prolonged darkness

Localization of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) in the white perch retina was carried out with immunohistochemical and autoradiographic methods. Following exposure to dopamine or prolonged darkness, cAMP staining was observed by immunohistochemistry in the distal part of the inner nuclear layer, i.e. in the horizontal cells. After exposure to dopamine, increased levels of cAMP were also observed by autoradiography in many horizontal cells. Finally, increased levels of cAMP staining were observed immunohistochemically following incubation with dopamine in all types of cone-related horizontal cells that had been isolated and maintained in culture.

Decoupling of horizontal cells in carp and turtle retinae by intracellular injection of cyclic AMP

1. Horizontal cells are electrically coupled through gap junctions. This is a disadvantage in elucidating the membrane properties of the cells. In order to block gap junctions, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cyclic AMP) or its analogues, dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 8-bromo cyclic AMP, were ionophoretically injected into horizontal cells of the carp or turtle retina. 2. Before injection of the chemicals the input resistance of the cell was so low as to be unmeasurable, because the applied current leaked through gap junctions. After injection, however, the input resistance was significantly increased. 3. After the injection dye-coupling between horizontal cells was not observed when examined by intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow dye, supporting the idea that high concentrations of intracellular cyclic AMP block gap junctions. 4. In this situation responses to light delivered to the receptive field centre were increased in amplitude, while responses to light delivered to the receptive field surround were greatly diminished. 5. After injection horizontal cells were readily polarized by conventional intracellular current injection. The hyperpolarizing light responses in carp and turtle luminosity-type cells (H1 cells) could be reversed by depolarizing the horizontal cells, and the reversal potentials were estimated to be about 0 mV. In addition, the resistance increase which accompanied the hyperpolarizing light responses could be detected. 6. In turtle biphasic chromaticity-type horizontal cells (H2 cells), hyperpolarizing light responses to shorter wavelengths and depolarizing ones to longer wavelengths could be reversed by depolarizing the horizontal cells. Both responses have almost the same reversal potential at about 0 mV. The membrane resistance changes associated with light responses were also detected; the resistance increased during the hyperpolarizing response, while it decreased during the depolarizing response. These observations suggest that the ionic mechanisms of both responses are probably the same, irrespective of their polarities.

Enkephalinergic modulation of the dopamine system in the turtle retina

One subpopulation of amacrine interneurons in the turtle retina was shown to contain met-enkephalin by means of immunocytochemistry, and another was demonstrated to have a high-affinity uptake system for [3H]-dopamine by means of autoradiography. Although the amacrine soma size, density, and distribution of their neurites in IPL substrata was similar in retinas in which met-enkephalin and dopamine were localized, combined light microscope immunocytochemistry-autoradiography demonstrated that these two neurotransmitter systems did not coexist in the same cells. Because the two amacrine cell subtypes ramify in the same IPL substrata, neuronal interaction between them is possible. Release experiments showed that the potassium-induced release of [3H]-dopamine from the superfused turtle retina was reduced by 40% when enkephalin was added to the superfusate. The inhibition of [3H]-dopamine release could be blocked by the addition of naloxone. The addition of enkephalin had no effect of the potassium-induced release of [3H]-GABA from the superfused retina. These findings suggest that an enkephalinergic modulation of the dopaminergic amacrine cell system exists in the turtle retina.

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate as a second messenger in horizontal cell uncoupling in the teleost retina

The reduction in the receptive field of horizontal cells of the teleost Eugerres plumieri observed upon dopamine (DA) superfusion is thought to be due to cell uncoupling. The possible mechanisms by which activation of DA receptors modify the electric coupling between horizontal cells were studied in the present work. It was found that the effect of DA in different preparations is mediated by a modification of intracellular concentration of cAMP and H+. The effects of intracellular injection of cAMP and H+ were studied in retinal horizontal cells of the teleost E. plumieri. A triple microelectrode was used to inject the ion iontophoretically, to pass current pulses, and to record voltages from the same cell, while a fourth microelectrode was used to record voltages from a neighboring cell in the same retinal layer. Responses evoked by light spots and annuli were evaluated simultaneously. Coupling ratios between neighboring horizontal cells ranged from 0.22 to 0.45. The intercellular resistance (Rc), 0.5-3.5 x 10(6) ohms, and that of the remaining cell membrane resistance (Rm), 2.5-18 x 10(6) ohms, were calculated by means of a passive electrical model that has a hexagonal array. The microinjection of H+ with injection current from +5 to +30 nA for 40 to 100 sec led to temporary and reversible light response reduction. The coupling ratio between two impaled cells was reduced by about 30%, and intercellular resistance (Rc) increment was 320% while cell membrane resistance (Rm) did not change consistently. There was also a temporary and reversible Rm reduction (70-85%) and an Rc increment of 170-330% when cyclic adenosine monophosphate was iontophoretically injected with current from -30 to -40 nA for 50 to 170 sec. The coupling ratio between two impaled cells was reduced by about 40%, and light responses recorded from the injected cell showed a reduction in amplitude with the same time course as that of the resistive changes. The injection of Lucifer yellow into a horizontal cell under normal conditions always results in pronounced fluorescence for more distant cells; however, under constant injection of H+ or cAMP only the injected cell is fluorescent, which provides direct evidence of the reduction in the effectiveness of coupling between horizontal cells. The observed effects of intracellular H+ or cAMP injection correspond to the resistive changes in Rc and coupling ratio that occur in the horizontal cell network upon superfusion with a dopamine (DA) solution.

Horizontal cell gap junctions: single-channel conductance and modulation by dopamine

Horizontal cells form an electrically coupled network for the transmission of inhibitory signals in the outer retina. In teleosts, horizontal cell coupling is modulated by the neurotransmitter dopamine. Using voltage-clamped pairs of teleost horizontal cells, we have examined the effects of dopamine on the conductance and gating properties of the cell-to-cell channels that mediate electrical synaptic transmission. Variance analysis of the junctional current noise showed that dopamine substantially reduced the open probability of gap junction channels, from 0.75 to 0.14. Direct observation of unitary junctional gating events in poorly coupled cell pairs indicated that these channels have a unitary conductance of 50-60 pS. The elementary conductance of channels in cell pairs treated with dopamine (48.7 +/- 6.6 pS) was statistically indistinguishable from channels in untreated cells (53.2 +/- 7.2 pS). Uncoupling with octanol also yielded a similar unitary conductance (61.1 +/- 11.1 pS). Our results suggest that dopamine reduces the open probability of gap junctional channels by decreasing their open duration.

Glycine high-affinity uptake labels a subpopulation of somatostatin-like immunoreactive cells in the Rana pipiens retina

Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (Som-LI) and glycine high-affinity uptake have been characterized in the Rana pipiens retina. These labels are found in both the outer and inner plexiform layers (OPL and IPL), suggesting that interplexiform cells (IPCs) contain both Som and glycine in this retina. In double-label experiments these labels colocalize to an abundant population of cells in the mid-inner nuclear layer (INL), in the second or third cell layer distal from the IPL. These cells have medium sized spherical or oval somas, each with a single thin descending dendrite which ramifies in the distal IPL. Processes ascending from cells at this location were not visualized by immunocytochemistry, but could be seen by autoradiography of tissue processed for glycine high-affinity uptake. In autoradiographs apparent IPCs were the most intensely labeled cell type in this retina. Som-LI is also found in two types of probable amacrine cells in the proximal INL adjacent to the IPL, neither of which is labeled by glycine high-affinity uptake. One of these is rare (about 10 cells/mm2), and has a large pyriform soma with a thick dendrite that branches in the proximal IPL. The other type is more common (324 +/- 20 cells/mm2), has medium-sized spherical or horizontally elongated elliptical somas, and has multiple thin dendrites projecting into the distal IPL. In addition to the above cell types, faint Som-LI was seen in cells of the ganglion cell layer, possibly indicating the presence of somatostatinergic ganglion cells or displaced amacrine cells.

Modulation of an electrical synapse between solitary pairs of catfish horizontal cells by dopamine and second messengers

1. Retinas from channel catfish were dissociated and the cells maintained in culture. Horizontal cells that normally receive input from cone photoreceptors were identified. The conductance of the electrical junction formed between a pair of 'cone' horizontal cells was measured by controlling the membrane voltage of each cell with a voltage clamp maintained through either a micropipette or a patch pipette. The two techniques yielded similar results. 2. Transjunctional current was measured while transjunctional voltage was stepped to values between +/- 60 mV. The current (measured 5 ms after a step) was proportional to voltage over the range tested. For steps to voltages greater than +/- 45 mV, the current exhibited a slight time-dependent decline. 3. Dopamine decreased junctional conductance in a dose-dependent fashion. A 50% reduction was obtained with 10 nM-dopamine. The D1 agonist fenoldopam (100 nM) also decreased junctional conductance. The uncoupling produced by either agent was rapid and reversible. 4. The introduction of 100 microM-cyclic AMP into one cell of a pair decreased junctional conductance by, on average, 40%. Forskolin (1-10 microM), an activator of adenylate cyclase, decreased junctional conductance 50-90%. 5. The introduction of 80 microM-cyclic GMP into one cell of a pair decreased junctional conductance by, on average, 40%. Nitroprusside (1-10 microM), an activator of guanylate cyclase, reduced junctional conductance 40-65%. 6. The introduction of a peptide inhibitor specific for the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase reversed a decrease in junctional conductance produced by superfusion with either dopamine (1 microM), fenoldopam (100 nM) or forskolin (5-10 microM). 7. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration was measured with the fluorescent indicator Fura-2. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration was increased by activation of a Ca2+ current. Junctional conductance remained constant as the internal Ca2+ concentration changed from 100 to 700 nM. 8. Intracellular pH was measured with the fluorescent indicator bis-carboxyethylcarboxyfluorescein. The application of acetate (2.5 mM) reduced intracellular pH by 0.2-0.3 units and decreased junctional conductance by approximately 50%. A subsequent application of fenoldopam did not alter intracellular pH, but decreased junctional conductance by more than 50%. 9. The sensitivity of the junctional conductance between isolated horizontal cells to dopamine is consistent with dopamine having a direct effect on coupling in intact retina. Dopamine regulates the activity of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase which in turn modulates junctional conductance. Changes in intracellular pH and Ca2+ concentration are not involved in mediating the effect of dopamine on coupling. Cyclic GMP and intracellular pH may participate in regulatory pathways independent of that used by cyclic AMP.

Inhibition of electrical coupling in pairs of murine pancreatic acinar cells by OAG and isolated protein kinase C

Gap junctional coupling was studied in pairs of murine pancreatic acinar cells using the double whole-cell patch-clamp technique. During stable electrical coupling, addition of OAG (1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycerol) induced a progressive reduction of the junctional conductance to the detectable limit (approximately 3 pS). Prior to complete electrical uncoupling, various discrete single channel conductances between 20 and 100 pS could be observed. Polymyxin B, a potent inhibitor of the protein kinase C (PKC) system, completely suppressed OAG-stimulated electrical uncoupling. Dialysis of cell pairs with solutions containing PKC, isolated from rat brain, also caused electrical uncoupling. The presence of 0.1 mM dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 5 mM ATP in the pipette solution, which serves to stabilize the junctional conductance, did not suppress the effects of OAG or isolated PKC. We conclude that an increase of protein kinase C activity leads to the closure of gap junction channels, presumably via a PKC-dependent phosphorylation of the junctional peptide, and that this mechanism is dominant over cAMP-dependent upregulatory effects in the experimental time range (less than or equal to 1 hr). A correlation of the observed single channel conductances with the appearance of channel subconductance states or various channel populations is discussed.

Dopamine synthesis and metabolism in rhesus monkey retina: development, aging, and the effects of monocular visual deprivation

The normal postnatal development, the influence of age, and the effects of visual deprivation on the dopamine system in the retina of rhesus monkeys were examined. The lowest level of retinal dopamine was found at birth. By 3-4 weeks of age, the dopamine concentration had more than doubled. This level remained relatively constant in the retinas of older infants and of adult monkeys up to 34 yr of age. The level of the dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase did not significantly change as a function of age during the postnatal life span. Monocular occlusion of newborn or infant monkeys for 1-15 months with opaque contact lenses resulted in decreases in the retinal concentrations of dopamine and DOPAC relative to the concentrations in the same animals' unoccluded eyes. Occlusion also resulted in a lower level of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the retina. Monocular eyelid suture from birth to 15 months of age resulted in less consistent alterations of retinal dopamine and DOPAC levels; tyrosine hydroxylase activity, however, was consistently reduced by lid suture. Thus, dopamine synthesis and metabolism, and the ontogenetic increase of the retinal dopamine level of rhesus monkey are reduced by light deprivation.

Lateral feedback from monophasic horizontal cells to cones in carp retina. I. Experiments

The spatial and color coding of the monophasic horizontal cells were studied in light- and dark-adapted retinae. Slit displacement experiments revealed differences in integration area for the different cone inputs of the monophasic horizontal cells. The integration area measured with a 670-nm stimulus was larger than that measured with a 570-nm stimulus. Experiments in which the diameter of the test spot was varied, however, revealed at high stimulus intensities a larger summation area for 520-nm stimuli than for 670-nm stimuli. The reverse was found for low stimulus intensities. To investigate whether these differences were due to interaction between the various cone inputs to the monophasic horizontal cell, adaptation experiments were performed. It was found that the various cone inputs were not independent. Finally, some mechanisms for the spatial and color coding will be discussed.

Enhancement of kainate-gated currents in retinal horizontal cells by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

Dopamine, acting via cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP), has been shown to enhance a kainate-gated ionic conductance in white perch retinal horizontal cells in vitro. To determine whether this effect involves stimulation of a protein kinase, kainate-gated currents were observed in cultured horizontal cells that were dialyzed with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Intracellular application of catalytic subunit or cAMP, but not heat-inactivated catalytic subunit, caused significant enhancement of the kainate-evoked currents. These results suggest that kainate-gated channels in horizontal cells may be modified by a phosphorylation event.

APB increases apparent coupling between horizontal cells in mudpuppy retina

2-Amino-4-phosphonobutyrate (APB), an agonist at a unique type of glutamate receptor on depolarizing bipolar cells, caused an apparent increase in coupling between horizontal cells as evidenced by a decrease in amplitude of responses to illumination of the receptive field center and an increase in responses to illumination of the peripheral part of the receptive field. APB also caused a hyperpolarization of horizontal cells in darkness and increased the amplitude of responses to full-field illumination, which cannot be explained by an increase in electrical coupling between horizontal cells. Possible mechanisms for these actions are discussed.

Dye-coupling in the neostriatum of the rat: I. Modulation by dopamine-depleting lesions

Evidence from experiments performed in turtle and fish retina suggests that dopamine (DA) modulates the permeability of gap junctions. The present experiment was aimed at determining if DA has a similar role in the mammalian neostriatum. Adults rats received one of four treatments: unilateral electrolytic substantia nigra lesions, unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) into the substantia nigra, unilateral neocortical aspiration, or no treatment. After 3-5 weeks, neostriata from both sides of the brain were prepared for in vitro intracellular recordings. Recorded neurons (N approximately 150) were filled with Lucifer Yellow (LY), a low molecular weight dye that crosses gap junctions. In animals with electrolytic nigral lesions, dye-coupling in the ipsilateral neostriatum occurred after 38% of the intracellular injections. After 6-OHDA lesions, 19% of the injections produced dye-coupling in the ipsilateral neostriatum. This difference may have been accounted for by the fact that electrolytic lesions produced a greater degree of DA loss than 6-OHDA injections. Both of these percentages contrast with the very small percentage of dye-coupling found in intact animals or in animals with neocortical lesions. Dye-coupling occurred only between medium-sized spiny cells. No morphological differences between dye-coupled and non-dye-coupled cells were observed with light microscopy. Overall, passive and active electrophysiological properties of dye-coupled and single neurons were similar. The results suggest that DA may function in the neostriatum to control permeability of gap junctions.

Dye-coupling in the neostriatum of the rat: II. Decreased coupling between neurons during development

Physiological and morphological evidence for coupling between neostriatal neurons was obtained from the developing rat. Intracellular injections of Lucifer Yellow-CH (LY) were made in rat neostriatal slices to study dye transfer (coupling) between neurons. The incidence of interneuronal coupling was 70% in early postnatal (P) periods and declined gradually to 10% in the adult. The number of neurons filled by a single intracellular injection also declined with age. LY injection into single neurons commonly marked aggregates of 4 to 6 cells in neonates. Single injections never produced more than one coupled pair in P20 or older rats. Neurons in which fast prepotentials (FPPs) could be evoked were consistently found to be dye-coupled. FPPs were resistant to collision with action potentials generated by intracellular current injection. When chemical synaptic transmission was blocked Mn2+, short-latency depolarizations (SLDs) could be evoked by extracellular stimulation. The SLDs were distinguished from chemical synaptic potentials by their "all or none" nature and by their insensitivity to changes in membrane potential. No SLDs were observed in adult neurons. FPPs and SLDs may be indicators of electronic transmission between coupled cells. The high incidence of coupling early in development might reflect intercellular communication that contributes to the differentiation and growth of neostriatal neurons.

Synapses from bipolar cells onto dopaminergic amacrine cells in cat and rabbit retinas

Dopaminergic amacrine cells in the vertebrate retina have long been characterized as 'interamacrine' as they were only found to be pre- and postsynaptic to other amacrine cells. Immunohistochemistry with antibodies directed against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) revealed synapses from bipolar cell axon terminals to TH-containing neuronal processes at ribbon synapses in the rhesus monkey retina. This finding challenged the notion of the dopaminergic amacrine cell phenotype as 'interamacrine'. In order to determine if the finding of synapses from bipolar cells to dopaminergic amacrine cells could be generalized to other species, we studied the synaptic organization of dopaminergic amacrine cells in the retinas of cats and rabbits with electron microscopy of TH immunoreactivity. In both species, TH-immunoreactive processes were found to be postsynaptic to bipolar axon terminals at ribbon synapses demonstrating that the original finding in the primate may be a significant feature in the retinas of many other vertebrates as well.

Morphometrical analysis of the gap-junctional area in parenchymal cells of the rat liver after administration of dibutyryl cAMP and aminophylline

In view of the presumed involvement of gap junctions in the coordination of metabolic activities, the influence of cAMP as a regulatory signal of cell metabolism on gap junctions of hepatocytes has been examined. Male rats received two intraperitoneal doses of 10 mg dibutyryl cAMP/100 g body weight with a time interval of 2.5 h and were decapitated 2.5 h later. After this 5-h interval, analysis of freeze-fracture replicas of fixed liver tissue revealed an increase in the mean (+/- SEM) gap-junctional membrane portion on the lateral hepatocyte membranes from 0.049 +/- 0.003 (n = 66) in controls to 0.061 +/- 0.003 (n = 70) in treated rats, while the configuration of the connexons appeared unaltered. This effect could not be reinforced by prior administration of aminophylline: the relative gap-junctional area is similarly extended from 0.054 +/- 0.003 (n = 126) in the control group to 0.065 +/- 0.004 (n = 105) in the experimental animals. Probing for the time course of the junctional response, a group of rats was sacrificed 3 h after the onset of treatment. Already within this time, the gap-junctional area is augmented from 0.042 +/- 0.004 (n = 63) in the concurrent controls to 0.069 +/- 0.006 (n = 42) in the treated rats. These statistically significant increases in area may suggest a stimulating effect of cAMP on gap junctions of hepatocytes in vivo.

Dopamine-accumulating retinal neurons revealed by in vitro fluorescence display a unique morphology

Dopamine is the principal catecholamine neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina. The shape of retinal neurons that accumulate dopamine has been demonstrated in an in vitro preparation of cat retina. This was achieved by the discovery that the combined uptake of dopamine and the indoleaminergic transmitter analog 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine leads to an intense, catecholamine-like fluorescence in the cell bodies and processes of presumed dopaminergic amacrine cells in the living retina. This fluorescence served as an in vitro marker for these cells, and their detailed morphology was analyzed after intracellular injection of horseradish peroxidase under direct microscopic control. The horseradish peroxidase-filled cells show an unprecedented neuronal morphology: each cell gives rise to multiple, axon-like processes that arise from, and extend for millimeters beyond, the dendritic tree. The unique structure of this type of amacrine cell suggests a function for dopamine in long-range lateral interactions in the inner plexiform layer.

Dopamine modifies the balance of rod and cone inputs to horizontal cells of the Xenopus retina

Dopamine (greater than or equal to 2 microM) increased the cone input and suppressed the rod input to axon-bearing horizontal cells of the Xenopus retina. Dopamine (10 microM) also depolarized the horizontal cell by about 9 mV. The D2-dopamine antagonists spiperone and metoclopramide had the opposite action to dopamine, whereas the D1-dopamine antagonist SCH 23390 was without effect. None of the agents tested modified the light-evoked responses of rods.

Glutamate and dopamine modulate synaptic plasticity in horizontal cell dendrites of fish retina

Horizontal cell dendrites protruding into the cone pedicles in fish retina exhibit a light-dependent plasticity. In a light-adapted retina they form numerous spinules having membrane densities at their tips. These spinules disappear during dark adaptation. Experiments with light- or dark-adapted retinas which were incubated in glutamate or its agonists and antagonists, respectively, revealed that this putative cone transmitter is able to reduce the expression of spinules in a light-adapted retina. Dopamine, on the other hand, induces the formation of spinules in a dark-adapted retina and haloperidol reduces the expression in a light-adapted retina. These data suggest a control of spinules plasticity through two retinal neurotransmitter systems.

Light-dependent dynamics of gap junctions between horizontal cells in the retina of the crucian carp

The dynamics of gap junctions between outer horizontal cells or their axon terminals in the retina of the crucian carp were investigated during light and dark adaptation by use of ultrathin-section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Light adaptation was induced by red light, while dark adaptation took place under ambient dark conditions. The two principal findings were: (1) The density of connexons within an observed gap junction is high in dark-adapted retina, and low in light-adapted retina. This, respectively, may reflect the coupled and uncoupled state of the gap junction. (2) The size of individual gap junctions is larger in light- than in dark-adapted retinae. Whereas the overall area occupied by gap junctions is reduced with dark adaptation, the percentage of small and very small gap junctions increases dramatically. A lateral shift of connexons in the gap junctional membrane is strongly suggested by these reversible processes of densification and dispersion. Two additional possibilities of gap junction modulation are discussed: (1) the de novo formation of very small gap junctions outside the large ones in the first few minutes of dark adaptation, and (2) the rearrangement of a portion of the very large gap junctions. The idea that the cytoskeleton is involved in such modulatory processes is corroborated by thin-section observations.

Dopamine-containing neurons in the mammalian central nervous system: electrophysiology and pharmacology

A decade of research culminated in the late 1950's with the demonstration that dopamine was a chemical neurotransmitter within the mammalian brain. Since this time, dopaminergic neuronal systems have been extensively studied using numerous techniques. This paper will review the last 14 years of electrophysiological investigation on neurochemically identified dopamine-containing neurons in the central nervous system. This will include an examination of both the electrophysiological and pharmacological characteristics in these cells, as well as the resulting insights into the regulation of dopamine cell electrical activity which is derived from this work.

GABAergic inhibition on dopamine cells of the fish retina: a [3H]dopamine release study with isolated fractions

Inner retinal cells including dopamine (DA) cells were isolated and fractionated from the carp (Cyprinus carpio) retina by an enzyme cell dissociation and metrizamide gradient centrifugation method. When gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonists (bicuculline and picrotoxin) were added into the perfusate over such a cell fraction, they stimulated the release of [3H]DA which had been preloaded in the cell fraction. The action of GABA antagonists was dose and Ca2+ dependent. Their minimal effective concentration was very low (0.5 microM). A similar action was elicited by high K+. In the presence of excess GABA, this stimulatory action of GABA antagonists and high K+ on [3H]DA release was completely abolished. To interpret the action of GABA antagonists on DA cells, isolated cell fractions were preincubated with GABAse. After such a treatment, the stimulatory effects of GABA antagonists and high K+ on [3H]DA release were differentiated from each other; the former disappeared whereas the latter remained unchanged. The data strongly suggest that GABA inhibits the DA release from retinal DA cells and thus the GABA antagonists affect [3H]DA release from cell fractions not by a direct membrane action but by a disinhibition mechanism via GABA receptors on the DA cell bodies.

Nonlinear relationship between impulse flow and dopamine released by rat midbrain dopaminergic neurons as studied by in vivo electrochemistry

Mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons discharge either in a single spike mode or in a bursting pattern. In order to investigate the influence of these patterns on dopamine release, extracellular dopamine was electrochemically monitored in vivo in the olfactory tuberculum of anaesthetized rats by means of two approaches. In the first, a pure signal, unequivocally corresponding to extracellular dopamine, was recorded every minute from pargyline treated rats by differential normal pulse voltammetry combined with electrochemically treated carbon fibre electrodes. In the second, the differential current solely due to oxidation of all the catechols was monitored every 1 s in drug-free rats by differential pulse amperometry. In basal conditions this current was mainly due to extracellular DOPAC. However, electrical stimulation of the dopaminergic pathway for 20 s elicited an immediate increase in this signal. This effect was due to evoked dopamine release since it was strongly enhanced by amphetamine (2 mg/kg) or pargyline (75 mg/kg) injections. As studied with both approaches, the evoked increase in extracellular dopamine concentration was immediate and lasted as long as the stimulation. The amplitude of the effect depended on the frequency of the stimulation (from 3 to 14 Hz) in an exponential manner but never exceeded 1 microM dopamine. Bursting stimulations (frequency within the trains: 14 Hz) were twice as potent as regularly spaced ones, having the same average frequency (5 Hz). In conditions which mimicked the spontaneous activity of dopaminergic neurons when they switch from one pattern to the other (4 Hz regularly spaced stimulation versus trains at a mean frequency of 6 Hz), the bursting stimulations were found to be up to 6 times more potent. Therefore, as regards the functional efficacy of DA neurons, bursting might be much more important than mean firing frequency.

Synaptic organization of dopaminergic interplexiform cells in the goldfish retina

The synaptic organization of dopaminergic interplexiform cells (DA-IPC) in the goldfish retina was studied by a combined double-label electron-microscopical (EM) immunocytochemical/autoradiographical study. DA-IPCs were labeled with antisera against tyrosine hydroxylase. The possibility of synaptic contact with GABAergic amacrine cells in the proximal inner plexiform layer (IPL) was studied by using 3H-GABA uptake. Most synaptic input and output from DA-IPC processes involved amacrine cell processes. In addition, synaptic interactions were observed between DA-IPC processes and bipolar cell terminals, other DA-IPC processes, very small dendrites in the IPL, ganglion cell and optic fiber layers (OFL), and cell bodies in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). Input and output synapses with GABAergic amacrine processes also were observed. Two-thirds of the DA-IPC boutons in the proximal IPL were involved in "junctional appositions," that is, the junctions appeared to be specialized but they were different than classical chemical synapses. The synaptic organization of DA-IPCs in the goldfish IPL appears to be far more complex than previously thought. Although earlier studies have attempted to explain the action of dopamine in terms of interaction only with amacrine cells, the present study shows that effects involving bipolar cells, other DA-IPCs, unidentified processes and cell bodies in the GCL and OFL must be considered as well.

The D-1 dopamine receptor

The D-1 receptor will provide a fruitful ground for many scientists in the coming years. Pure biochemists will attempt to isolate, purify and sequence the molecule itself. Functional biochemists will study the mechanisms whereby the receptor regulates adenylate cyclase activity. Physiologists will attempt to study the consequences of stimulating the receptor in either the brain or in peripheral tissues. Animal behavioralists will attempt to understand how the receptor participates in the generation of animals response to dopaminergic drugs (both agonists and antagonists). Finally, it remains to be determined if any novel therapeutic agents targeted towards the D-1 receptor will become commercially viable compounds.

Distribution and morphology of dopaminergic amacrine cells in the retina of the turtle (Pseudemys scripta elegans)

A light microscopical study of the cell types that stain by immunohistochemistry for the synthesizing enzyme for dopamine, tyrosine hydroxylase, has been performed on the retina of the turtle Pseudemys scripta elegans. The immunostain can be localized to a single morphological type of amacrine cell. The cells are like A28 cells of a Golgi classification. They have medium sized dendritic fields that range in diameter from 200 to 700 micron with eccentricity from the visual streak. The amacrines have a tri-stratified dendritic tree with tiers of fine, curved dendrites ramifying in strata S1, lower S2 and the S4/5 border of the inner plexiform layer. We, like others, can find no good evidence that these cells are interplexiform cells. The dopaminergic amacrine cells have a low frequency (approximately 1300-1500 total cells in 130 mm2 retina), with their highest density occurring in the visual streak (60 cells per mm2). The density profiles fall in elliptical isodensity rings from the visual streak towards the peripheral retina. At all points on the retina the dendritic fields maintain a constant coverage factor independent of eccentricity. A comparison of the dopaminergic amacrine cells in the turtle and other vertebrate retinae is made.

Retinal horizontal cell gap junctional conductance is modulated by dopamine through a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

The action of many neuromodulators is mediated by intracellular second messengers such as cyclic AMP. In the retina, exogenously applied dopamine alters the conductance of gap junctions between cultured horizontal cells and this effect is mediated by cyclic AMP. However, it is not known how cyclic AMP modulates horizontal cell gap junction function. Here I report that cyclic AMP works by way of a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase injected into coupled horizontal cells from white bass (Roccus chrysops) rapidly and reversibly uncoupled the cells, mimicking the actions of dopamine. The threshold for the effect was between 0.06 and 0.03 microM. Injection of Walsh inhibitor of protein kinase [Walsh, D. A., Ashby, C. D., Gonzalez, C., Calkins, D., Fischer, E. H. & Krebs, E. G. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 1977-1985] blocked the effect of dopamine. Thus, the action of dopamine is to raise intracellular levels of cyclic AMP, which then activates a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Although not tested, it is likely that the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates a protein, possibly a gap junction protein, to alter conductance.

Regulation of dopamine release from interplexiform cell processes in the outer plexiform layer of the carp retina

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) antagonists bicuculline and picrotoxin stimulate a four- to fivefold increase in endogenous dopamine release from isolated intact carp retina. The release evoked by these agents is Ca2+ dependent, a finding suggesting a vesicular release. Using light microscopic autoradiography, we have localized the sites of dopamine release to the dopaminergic interplexiform cell processes of the outer plexiform layer, which synapse onto horizontal cells. Our findings support previous suggestions that the dopaminergic interplexiform cells receive GABAergic inhibitory input and that the effects of GABA antagonists on horizontal cells are mediated by dopamine release from the interplexiform cells.

Full-wave rectification from a mixed electrical-chemical synapse

Electrical and chemical synapses usually reinforce one another, but the pyloric late-to-lateral pyloric (PL-to-LP) neuronal connections in lobster stomatogastric ganglia create an inverted U-shaped transfer function between the two neurons: regardless of whether the PL membrane voltage swings positive or negative, the postsynaptic LP voltage will go negative. When the presynaptic cell voltage goes negative, the effect on the LP voltage is due to electrical coupling. During positive presynaptic voltages, the strong contribution of graded chemical inhibition from the PL to the LP neuron overrides the positive electrical coupling to produce net negativity.

The interplexiform-horizontal cell system of the fish retina: effects of dopamine, light stimulation and time in the dark

Interplexiform cells contact cone horizontal cells in the fish retina and probably release dopamine at synaptic sites. The effects of dopamine, certain related compounds, and light and dark régimes were tested on the intracellularly recorded activity of horizontal cells in the superfused carp retina to elucidate the functional role of the interplexiform cell. Dopamine application onto retinae kept in the dark for 30-40 min increased the size of the responses of cone horizontal cells to small-spot stimuli but decreased response size to large- and full-field stimuli. Dopamine also altered the response waveform of these cells; the transient at response onset increased in size and the depolarizing afterpotential decreased in size. Haloperidol, a dopamine antagonist, blocked these effects of dopamine application. Forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, increased the size of the responses of the cells to small-spot stimuli. Superfusion of vasoactive intestinal peptide did not produce any effects on horizontal cells. The results indicate that dopamine produces multiple physiological effects on cone horizontal cells by activation of an intracellular enzyme system. We propose that some of these effects are probably related to an uncoupling of the gap junctions between horizontal cells, but that other effects are most likely not explained on this basis and reflect additional changes induced in the cells by dopamine. After prolonged periods of darkness (100-110 min), compared with short periods (30-40 min), L-type cone horizontal cells exhibited responses similar to those obtained during dopamine application. Dim flickering or continuous light backgrounds did not mimic the effects of dopamine. Although dopamine application onto retinae after short-term darkness produced dramatic effects on L-type cone horizontal cells, little or no effect was observed when dopamine was applied while the effects of a previous dopamine application were still present or after prolonged darkness. These results suggest that interplexiform cells may release dopamine after prolonged darkness and that interplexiform cells may regulate lateral inhibitory effects mediated by L-type cone horizontal cells as a function of time in the dark.

Calmodulin-like proteins and communicating junctions. Electrical uncoupling of crayfish septate axons is inhibited by the calmodulin inhibitor W7 and is not affected by cyclic nucleotides

The effects of W7, a calmodulin (CaM)-inhibitor, and cyclic nucleotides on electrical coupling and uncoupling are studied in crayfish lateral giant axons (septate axons). The septate axons provide a relatively simple two cell system in which both surface membrane and junctional resistance can be measured independently. Four microelectrodes are inserted into a septate axon, two on each side of the septum. Hyperpolarizing current pulses (150 nA) are injected alternatively in the caudal and rostral axon segment and the resulting electrotonic potentials are recorded. The axons are uncoupled at regular intervals by superfusing them with acetate-containing saline solution (pH 6.3) in the presence or absence of W7 (50-100 microM) or, as a control, its nonchlorinated form (W5). W7 strongly inhibits the acetate-induced increased in junctional resistance, while W5 is ineffective. The uncoupling inhibition does not appear to be caused by an increase in cyclic nucleotide concentration, because in preliminary experiments exposure to db-cAMP or db-cGMP (up to 1 mM) does not seem to influence either the basic values of Rj or their changes with acetate. The data confirm previous evidence for a participation of CaM-like proteins in cell-to-cell channel gating.

Functional and morphological correlates of amacrine cells in carp retina

Experiments were conducted on isolated retinas of adult carp (Cyprinus carpio) to investigate correlations between photoresponses and morphological features of amacrine cells. The fluorescence dye Lucifer Yellow CH was iontophoretically injected into single cells which had been characterized electrophysiologically. Photoresponses were classified into two main types (transient ON-OFF and sustained), which were further subgrouped into "fast" and "slow" ON-OFF types and into ON-center and OFF-center types, respectively. In the spectral response curve, all the types dealt with showed a maximum response at 621 nm, indicating that main input signals derive from red-sensitive cones. The cells marked by intracellular injection of the dye showed a great variety in morphology. Cells were classified into 8 subtypes, based on soma shape (fusiform or pyriform), dendritic field area (narrow, less than 0.3 mm2; medium, 0.3-0.8 mm2; wide, greater than 0.8 mm2), and dendritic stratification in the inner plexiform layer (restricted to sublamina a or b, or distributed diffusely). In certain cases a given response type was correlated with a specific morphological type, while receptive field size was not strictly correlated with dendritic field areas. Long and fine peripheral "axon-like" processes were found to arise from the primary dendrites of most fusiform cells. Dye-coupling was found among cells which appear to belong to the same cell category.

Morphological changes induced in turtle retinal neurons by exposure to 6-hydroxydopamine and 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine

Following intraocular injection of the dopamine neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (10-50 micrograms on two successive days in a Ringer vehicle containing ascorbate and pargyline) and an incubation period of 1 to 18 days, degeneration was noted in presumptive amacrine cells in the retina of the turtle, Pseudemys scripta elegans. Injection of vehicle alone produced no effect. Affected perikarya initially showed swollen mitochondria, lysosomes and distended cisternae. At later stages the cells took on a darkened appearance. In contrast, affected amacrine processes in the inner plexiform layer became markedly distended and lost their cytoplasmic contents, resulting in empty, very swollen profiles. No degeneration was noted distal to the affected cell bodies, i.e. the affected cells were not interplexiform neurons. Cells lesioned by 6-hydroxydopamine were shown to accumulate [3H]dopamine. Intraocular administration of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine (a single dose of 10-40 micrograms in the same vehicle) followed by 4-6 days incubation resulted in a marked darkening of certain bipolar cell axon terminals, cell bodies and Landolt's clubs. The toxic effects of 5,6-dihydroxytryptamine were blocked by zimelidine, a serotonin uptake blocker. Thus, these two neurotoxins have different targets in the turtle retina. At the highest dose tested, however, 6-hydroxydopamine did produce degenerative changes in the presumed serotonergic bipolar cell.

Dopamine enhances excitatory amino acid-gated conductances in cultured retinal horizontal cells

In the teleost retina, cone horizontal cells receive extensive innervation from dopaminergic interplexiform cells, and possess dopamine receptors whose activation stimulates adenylate cyclase. Exogenously applied dopamine modifies several aspects of horizontal cell activity in the intact retina, including the responsiveness of these neurons to light and the strength of electrical coupling between them. We have used whole-cell voltage clamp methods to examine whether dopamine can alter the light-responsiveness of horizontal cells by changing their sensitivity to the neurotransmitter released by the photoreceptors. We report that dopamine and cyclic AMP, although having little direct effect on resting membrane conductance, greatly enhance ionic conductances gated by kainate, an agonist of the transmitter released by the photoreceptors, and by L-glutamate, the agent proposed to be the photoreceptor transmitter. Our results provide the first direct evidence for dopaminergic regulation of excitatory amino-acid neurotransmission in the vertebrate nervous system and suggest a possible mechanism to explain the reduction in the responsiveness of horizontal cells observed when retinas are treated with dopamine.

The cAMP cascade in the nervous system: molecular sites of action and possible relevance to neuronal plasticity

Many intercellular messages regulate the activity of their target cells by altering the intracellular level of cAMP and, as a consequence, the phosphorylation state of proteins which serve as substrates for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Such regulation plays a crucial role in neuronal development, neuronal function, and neuronal plasticity (e.g., elementary learning mechanisms). Ample information has been accumulated in recent years on the enzymes that regulate the level of cAMP or respond to it, on the regulation of cAMP synthesis by neurohormones, neurotransmitters, ions, and toxins, on neuronal-specific substrate proteins that are phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent kinase, and on the interaction of the cAMP-cascade with other second-messenger systems within neurons. Such data, obtained by a combination of molecular-biological, biochemical, and cellular approaches, shed light on the detailed mechanisms by which modulation of a ubiquitous molecular cascade leads to a great variety of short-term as well as long-term specific neuronal responses and alterations.

Micro-electrode measurements and functional aspects of chloride activity in cyprinid fish retina: extracellular activity and intracellular activities of L- and C-type horizontal cells

Extracellular Cl- activity and intracellular Cl- activities of luminosity and biphasic-chromaticity type horizontal cells were measured in freshly isolated, non-superfused roach retinae using double-barrelled Cl- -sensitive micro-electrodes. The extracellular Cl- activity in dark-adapted retinae was found to have a surprisingly wide range (54-143 mM), although in a given preparation it was extremely constant. The mean intracellular Cl- activities of both types of horizontal cell were identical (47 mM), and this value was significantly greater than that required for "passive distribution" i.e. Cl- equilibrium potentials were 11-12 mV more positive than respective membrane resting potentials in the dark. In the presence of 10 microM dopamine, however, the difference between the Cl- equilibrium potential and the membrane resting potential was abolished, consistent with the hypothesis that dopamine increases Cl- conductance, presumably at the interplexiform cell synapse onto horizontal cells. In turn, it is suggested that a functional consequence of this pathway is to modulate the input impedances of the horizontal cells, and hence their sensitivity to light.

Effects of denervation on cell-to-cell communication between acinar cells of rat submandibular salivary gland

Communication measured by electrical cell coupling and dye transfer decreased transiently 1 day after parasympathectomy and then recovered 2 days later. Parasympathectomy decreased communication again 2 weeks later, coinciding with a decrease in the wet weight of the gland, but sympathectomy did not affect it. Thus parasympathetic nerve activity may be required for the regulation and maintenance of cell-to-cell communication in the rat submandibular gland.

Dopamine modulates evoked transmission at cholinergic synapses formed by rat retinal neurons with muscle cells

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of dopamine on synaptic transmission mediated by cholinergic neurons derived from the rat retina. We used a cell culture system that permitted the physiological monitoring of acetylcholine released at synapses formed between retinal neurons and striated muscle cells. Dopamine was found to facilitate evoked transmission by a mechanism mediated by D1 dopamine receptors. The results support the hypothesis that dopamine may have a modulatory role in information processing by the mammalian retina.

Acetylcholine modulation of the conductance of intercellular junctions between rat lacrimal cells

The conductance of intercellular junctions between rat lacrimal cells was studied with the double whole-cell tight-seal recording technique. This conductance decreases spontaneously with time as a result of the double-cell dialysis. The rate of this 'spontaneous' uncoupling is unaffected by changing the internal Ca concentration, [Ca]i, between 10(-8) M and 10(-6) M. This rate of uncoupling is greatly increased when [Ca]i is approximately 10(-5) M, and this effect does not involve changes in the internal proton concentration. When [Ca]i is weakly buffered in one of the two cells, 1-2 microM-acetylcholine (ACh) both activates Ca-dependent channels in that cell (Marty, Tan & Trautmann, 1984) and uncouples the two cells. The uncoupling is not synchronous with the increase in [Ca]i as reflected by the Ca-dependent currents. When [Ca]i is strongly buffered in both cells, ACh fails to activate Ca-dependent currents, but it can still uncouple the cells. This ACh-induced uncoupling is often preceded by a transient enhancing of the coupling. In conclusion, ACh has several distinct effects on lacrimal cells: activation of Ca-dependent channels in the plasma membrane, closure of junctional channels involving a Ca-independent mechanism, and sometimes, an increase in the junctional coupling by a Ca-independent mechanism.

Gap junctions between horizontal cells in the cyprinid fish alter rapidly their structure during light and dark adaptation

The dynamics of the structure of gap junctions between outer horizontal cells (HCs) and between their axonal terminals in the retina of the goldfish during light and dark adaptation is described by means of quantitative freeze-fracture replica examination. The light adaptation was performed in red light. In dark-adapted retinae the gap junctional connexons are arranged much more dense than in light-adapted retinae. The rearrangement during the first minutes of light adaptation proceeds faster than during the first minutes of dark adaptation. Since dark adaptation is accompanied by surround enhancement and presumably by coupling of HCs it is concluded that densification of HC gap junctions may correlate with coupling, and scattering of HC gap junctions with uncoupling of this type of electrotonic synapse.