Intracellular chloride in retinal neurons: measurement and meaning

Horizontal Cell Feedback to Cone Photoreceptors in Mammalian Retina: Novel Insights From the GABA-pH Hybrid Model

How neurons in the eye feed signals back to photoreceptors to optimize sensitivity to patterns of light appears to be mediated by one or more unconventional mechanisms. Via these mechanisms, horizontal cells control photoreceptor synaptic gain and enhance key aspects of temporal and spatial center-surround receptive field antagonism. After the transduction of light energy into an electrical signal in photoreceptors, the next key task in visual processing is the transmission of an optimized signal to the follower neurons in the retina. For this to happen, the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from photoreceptors is carefully regulated via horizontal cell feedback, which acts as a thermostat to keep the synaptic transmission in an optimal range during changes to light patterns and intensities. Novel findings of a recently described model that casts a classical neurotransmitter system together with ion transport mechanisms to adjust the alkaline milieu outside the synapse are reviewed. This novel inter-neuronal messaging system carries feedback signals using two separate, but interwoven regulated systems. The complex interplay between these two signaling modalities, creating synaptic modulation-at-a-distance, has obscured it’s being defined. The foundations of our understanding of the feedback mechanism from horizontal cells to photoreceptors have been long established: Horizontal cells have broad receptive fields, suitable for providing surround inhibition, their membrane potential, a function of stimulus intensity and size, regulates inhibition of photoreceptor voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels, and strong artificial pH buffering eliminates this action. This review compares and contrasts models of how these foundations are linked, focusing on a recent report in mammals that shows tonic horizontal cell release of GABA activating Cl⁻ and HCO₃⁻ permeable GABA autoreceptors. The membrane potential of horizontal cells provides the driving force for GABAR-mediated HCO₃⁻ efflux, alkalinizing the cleft when horizontal cells are hyperpolarized by light or adding to their depolarization in darkness and contributing to cleft acidification via NHE-mediated H⁺ efflux. This model challenges interpretations of earlier studies that were considered to rule out a role for GABA in feedback to cones.

Controlling Horizontal Cell-Mediated Lateral Inhibition in Transgenic Zebrafish Retina with Chemogenetic Tools

Horizontal cells (HCs) form reciprocal synapses with rod and cone photoreceptors, an arrangement that underlies lateral inhibition in the retina. HCs send negative and positive feedback signals to photoreceptors, but how HCs initiate these signals remains unclear. Unfortunately, because HCs have no unique neurotransmitter receptors, there are no pharmacological treatments for perturbing membrane potential specifically in HCs. Here we use transgenic zebrafish whose HCs express alien receptors, enabling cell-type-specific control by cognate alien agonists. To depolarize HCs, we used the Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-amide (FMRFamide)-gated Na⁺ channel (FaNaC) activated by the invertebrate neuropeptide FMRFamide. To hyperpolarize HCs we used a pharmacologically selective actuator module (PSAM)-glycine receptor (GlyR), an engineered Cl^– selective channel activated by a synthetic agonist. Expression of FaNaC or PSAM-GlyR was restricted to HCs with the cell-type selective promoter for connexin-55.5. We assessed HC-feedback control of photoreceptor synapses in three ways. First, we measured presynaptic exocytosis from photoreceptor terminals using the fluorescent dye FM1-43. Second, we measured the electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave, a signal generated by postsynaptic responses. Third, we used Ca²⁺ imaging in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) expressing the Ca²⁺ indicator GCaMP6. Addition of FMRFamide significantly decreased FM1-43 destaining in darkness, whereas the addition of PSAM-GlyR significantly increased it. However, both agonists decreased the light-elicited ERG b-wave and eliminated surround inhibition of the Ca²⁺ response of RGCs. Taken together, our findings show that chemogenetic tools can selectively manipulate negative feedback from HCs, providing a platform for understanding its mechanism and helping to elucidate its functional roles in visual information processing at a succession of downstream stages.

Silent-substitution stimuli silence the light responses of cones but not their output

Chromatic vision starts at the retinal photoreceptors but photoreceptors are themselves color-blind, responding only to their effective quantal catch and not to the wavelength of the caught photon per se. Mitchell and Rushton (1971) termed this phenomenon the univariance concept, and it is widely used in designing silent-substitution stimuli to test the unique contributions of specific photoreceptor types to vision. In principle, this procedure controls the effective quantal catch of photoreceptors well and hence works at the phototransduction-cascade level of vision. However, both phototransduction-cascade modulation and the horizontal-cell-mediated feedback signal determine photoreceptor output. Horizontal cells receive input from, and send feedback to, more than one photoreceptor type. This should mean that silent-substitution stimuli do not silence horizontal-cell activity, and that this activity is fed back to the silenced cones. This in turn will modulate the output of silenced cones, making them not so silent after all. Here we tested this idea and found that silent-substitution stimuli can adequately silence cone-membrane potential responses. However, these cones still received a feedback signal from horizontal cells, which modulates their Ca2+ current and thus their output. These feedback-induced Ca2+-current changes are substantial, as they are of the same order of magnitude as Ca2+-current changes that occur when cones are directly stimulated with light. This illustrates that great care needs to be taken in interpreting results obtained with silent-substitution stimuli. In the discussion, we outline two basic types of interpretation pitfalls that can occur.

Diverse Cell Types, Circuits, and Mechanisms for Color Vision in the Vertebrate Retina

Synaptic interactions to extract information about wavelength, and thus color, begin in the vertebrate retina with three classes of light-sensitive cells: rod photoreceptors at low light levels, multiple types of cone photoreceptors that vary in spectral sensitivity, and intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells that contain the photopigment melanopsin. When isolated from its neighbors, a photoreceptor confounds photon flux with wavelength and so by itself provides no information about color. The retina has evolved elaborate color opponent circuitry for extracting wavelength information by comparing the activities of different photoreceptor types broadly tuned to different parts of the visible spectrum. We review studies concerning the circuit mechanisms mediating opponent interactions in a range of species, from tetrachromatic fish with diverse color opponent cell types to common dichromatic mammals where cone opponency is restricted to a subset of specialized circuits. Distinct among mammals, primates have reinvented trichromatic color vision using novel strategies to incorporate evolution of an additional photopigment gene into the foveal structure and circuitry that supports high-resolution vision. Color vision is absent at scotopic light levels when only rods are active, but rods interact with cone signals to influence color perception at mesopic light levels. Recent evidence suggests melanopsin-mediated signals, which have been identified as a substrate for setting circadian rhythms, may also influence color perception. We consider circuits that may mediate these interactions. While cone opponency is a relatively simple neural computation, it has been implemented in vertebrates by diverse neural mechanisms that are not yet fully understood.

Novel hybrid action of GABA mediates inhibitory feedback in the mammalian retina

The stream of visual information sent from photoreceptors to second-order bipolar cells is intercepted by laterally interacting horizontal cells that generate feedback to optimize and improve the efficiency of signal transmission. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of graded photoreceptor synaptic output in this nonspiking network have remained elusive. Here, we analyze with patch clamp recording the novel mechanisms by which horizontal cells control pH in the synaptic cleft to modulate photoreceptor neurotransmitter release. First, we show that mammalian horizontal cells respond to their own GABA release and that the results of this autaptic action affect cone voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (CaV channel) gating through changes in pH. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate that chemogenetic manipulation of horizontal cells with exogenous anion channel expression mimics GABA-mediated cone CaV channel inhibition. Activation of these GABA receptor anion channels can depolarize horizontal cells and increase cleft acidity via Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) proton extrusion, which results in inhibition of cone CaV channels. This action is effectively counteracted when horizontal cells are sufficiently hyperpolarized by increased GABA receptor (GABAR)-mediated HCO3- efflux, alkalinizing the cleft and disinhibiting cone CaV channels. This demonstrates how hybrid actions of GABA operate in parallel to effect voltage-dependent pH changes, a novel mechanism for regulating synaptic output.

How Diverse Retinal Functions Arise from Feedback at the First Visual Synapse

Many brain regions contain local interneurons of distinct types. How does an interneuron type contribute to the input-output transformations of a given brain region? We addressed this question in the mouse retina by chemogenetically perturbing horizontal cells, an interneuron type providing feedback at the first visual synapse, while monitoring the light-driven spiking activity in thousands of ganglion cells, the retinal output neurons. We uncovered six reversible perturbation-induced effects in the response dynamics and response range of ganglion cells. The effects were enhancing or suppressive, occurred in different response epochs, and depended on the ganglion cell type. A computational model of the retinal circuitry reproduced all perturbation-induced effects and led us to assign specific functions to horizontal cells with respect to different ganglion cell types. Our combined experimental and theoretical work reveals how a single interneuron type can differentially shape the dynamical properties of distinct output channels of a brain region.

Dopamine Regulation of GABAA Receptors Contributes to Light/Dark Modulation of the ON-Cone Bipolar Cell Receptive Field Surround in the Retina

Cone bipolar cells are interneurons that receive synaptic input from cone photoreceptor cells and provide the output of the first synaptic layer of the retina. These cells exhibit center-surround receptive fields, a prototype of lateral inhibition between neighboring sensory cells in which stimulation of the receptive field center excites the cell whereas stimulation of the surrounding region laterally inhibits the cell. This fundamental sensory coding mechanism facilitates spatial discrimination and detection of stimulus edges. However, although it is well established that the receptive field surround is strongest when ambient or background illumination is most intense, e.g., at midday, and that the surround is minimal following maintained darkness, the synaptic mechanisms that produce and modulate the surround have not been resolved. Using electrical recording of bipolar cells under experimental conditions in which the cells exhibited surround light responses, and light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry, we show in the rabbit retina that bright-light-induced activation of dopamine D₁ receptors located on ON-center cone bipolar cell dendrites increases the expression and activity of GABA_A receptors on the dendrites of the cells and that surround light responses depend on endogenous GABA_A receptor activation. We also show that maintained darkness and D₁ receptor blockade following maintained illumination and D₁ receptor activation result in minimal GABA_A receptor expression and activity and greatly diminished surrounds. Modulation of the D₁/GABA_A receptor signaling pathway of ON-cBC dendrites by the ambient light level facilitates detection of spatial details on bright days and large dim objects on moonless nights.

Possible roles of glutamate transporter EAAT5 in mouse cone depolarizing bipolar cell light responses

A remarkable feature of neuronal glutamate transporters (EAATs) is their dual functions of classical carriers and ligand-gated chloride (Cl(-)) channels. Cl(-) conductance is rapidly activated by glutamate in subtype EAAT5, which mediates light responses in depolarizing bipolar cells (DBC) in retinae of lower vertebrates. In this study, we examine whether EAAT5 also mediates the DBC light response in mouse. We took advantage of an infrared illuminated micro-injection system, and studied the effects of the EAAT blocker (TBOA) and a glutamate receptor agonist (LAP4) on the mouse electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave responses. Our results showed that TBOA and LAP4 shared similar temporal patterns of inhibition: both inhibited the ERG b-wave shortly after injection and recovered with similar time courses. TBOA inhibited the b-wave completely at mesopic light intensity with an IC50 value about 1 log unit higher than that of LAP4. The inhibitory effects of TBOA and LAP4 were found to be additive in the photopic range. Furthermore, TBOA alone inhibited the b-wave in the cone operative range in knockout mice lacking DBCRs at a low concentration that did not alter synaptic glutamate clearance activity. It also produced a stronger inhibition than that of LAP4 on the cone-driven b-wave measured with a double flash method in wildtype mice. These electrophysiological data suggest a significant role for EAAT5 in mediating cone-driven DBC light responses. Our immunohistochemistry data indicated the presence of postsynaptic EAAT5 on some DBCCs and some DBCRs, providing an anatomical basis for EAAT5's role in DBC light responses.

Synaptic elements for GABAergic feed-forward signaling between HII horizontal cells and blue cone bipolar cells are enriched beneath primate S-cones

The functional roles and synaptic features of horizontal cells in the mammalian retina are still controversial. Evidence exists for feedback signaling from horizontal cells to cones and feed-forward signaling from horizontal cells to bipolar cells, but the details of the latter remain elusive. Here, immunohistochemistry and confocal microscopy were used to analyze the expression patterns of the SNARE protein syntaxin-4, the GABA receptor subunits α1 and ρ, and the cation-chloride cotransporters NKCC and KCC2 in the outer plexiform layer of primate retina. In macaque retina, as observed previously in other species, syntaxin-4 was expressed on dendrites and axon terminals of horizontal cells at cone pedicles and rod spherules. At cones, syntaxin-4 appeared densely clustered in two bands, at horizontal cell dendritic tips and at the level of desmosome-like junctions. Interestingly, in the lower band where horizontal cells may synapse directly onto bipolar cells, syntaxin-4 was highly enriched beneath short-wavelength sensitive (S) cones and colocalized with calbindin, a marker for HII horizontal cells. The enrichment at S-cones was not observed in either mouse or ground squirrel. Furthermore, high amounts of both GABA receptor and cation-chloride cotransporter subunits were found beneath primate S-cones. Finally, while syntaxin-4 was expressed by both HI and HII horizontal cell types, the intense clustering and colocalization with calbindin at S-cones indicated an enhanced expression in HII cells. Taken together, GABA receptors beneath cone pedicles, chloride transporters, and syntaxin-4 are putative constituents of a synaptic set of proteins which would be required for a GABA-mediated feed-forward pathway via horizontal cells carrying signals directly from cones to bipolar cells.

Regulation of synaptic transmission at the photoreceptor terminal: a novel role for the cation-chloride co-transporter NKCC1

The Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl(-) co-transporter type 1 (NKCC1) is localized primarily throughout the outer plexiform layer (OPL) of the distal retina, a synaptic lamina that is comprised of the axon terminals of photoreceptors and the dendrites of horizontal and bipolar cells. Although known to play a key role in development, signal transmission and the gating of sensory signals in other regions of the retina and in the CNS, the contribution of NKCC1 to synaptic transmission within the OPL is largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated the function of NKCC1 at the photoreceptor-horizontal cell synapse by recording the electrical responses of photoreceptors and horizontal cells before and after blocking the activity of the transporter with bumetanide (BMN). Because NKCC1 co-transports 1 Na(+), 1 K(+) and 2 Cl(-), it is electroneutral and its activation had little effect on membrane conductance. However, recordings from postsynaptic horizontal cells revealed that inhibiting NKCC1 with BMN greatly increased glutamate release from both rod and cone terminals. In addition, we found that NKCC1 directly regulates Ca(2+)-dependent exocytosis at the photoreceptor synapse, raising the possibility that NKCC1 serves to suppress bulk release of glutamate vesicles from photoreceptor terminals in the dark and at light offset. Interestingly, NKCC1 gene and protein expressions were upregulated by light, which we attribute to the light-induced release of dopamine acting on D1-like receptors. In sum, our study reveals a new role for NKCC1 in the regulation of synaptic transmission in photoreceptors.

Lack of the sodium-driven chloride bicarbonate exchanger NCBE impairs visual function in the mouse retina

Regulation of ion and pH homeostasis is essential for normal neuronal function. The sodium-driven chloride bicarbonate exchanger NCBE (Slc4a10), a member of the SLC4 family of bicarbonate transporters, uses the transmembrane gradient of sodium to drive cellular net uptake of bicarbonate and to extrude chloride, thereby modulating both intracellular pH (pH(i)) and chloride concentration ([Cl(-)](i)) in neurons. Here we show that NCBE is strongly expressed in the retina. As GABA(A) receptors conduct both chloride and bicarbonate, we hypothesized that NCBE may be relevant for GABAergic transmission in the retina. Importantly, we found a differential expression of NCBE in bipolar cells: whereas NCBE was expressed on ON and OFF bipolar cell axon terminals, it only localized to dendrites of OFF bipolar cells. On these compartments, NCBE colocalized with the main neuronal chloride extruder KCC2, which renders GABA hyperpolarizing. NCBE was also expressed in starburst amacrine cells, but was absent from neurons known to depolarize in response to GABA, like horizontal cells. Mice lacking NCBE showed decreased visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in behavioral experiments and smaller b-wave amplitudes and longer latencies in electroretinograms. Ganglion cells from NCBE-deficient mice also showed altered temporal response properties. In summary, our data suggest that NCBE may serve to maintain intracellular chloride and bicarbonate concentration in retinal neurons. Consequently, lack of NCBE in the retina may result in changes in pH(i) regulation and chloride-dependent inhibition, leading to altered signal transmission and impaired visual function.

Lateral interactions in the outer retina

Lateral interactions in the outer retina, particularly negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones and direct feed-forward input from horizontal cells to bipolar cells, play a number of important roles in early visual processing, such as generating center-surround receptive fields that enhance spatial discrimination. These circuits may also contribute to post-receptoral light adaptation and the generation of color opponency. In this review, we examine the contributions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways to early visual processing. We begin by reviewing the properties of bipolar cell receptive fields, especially with respect to modulation of the bipolar receptive field surround by the ambient light level and to the contribution of horizontal cells to the surround. We then review evidence for and against three proposed mechanisms for negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones: 1) GABA release by horizontal cells, 2) ephaptic modulation of the cone pedicle membrane potential generated by currents flowing through hemigap junctions in horizontal cell dendrites, and 3) modulation of cone calcium currents (I(Ca)) by changes in synaptic cleft proton levels. We also consider evidence for the presence of direct horizontal cell feed-forward input to bipolar cells and discuss a possible role for GABA at this synapse. We summarize proposed functions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways. Finally, we examine the mechanisms and functions of two other forms of lateral interaction in the outer retina: negative feedback from horizontal cells to rods and positive feedback from horizontal cells to cones.

Depolarising and hyperpolarising actions of GABA(A) receptor activation on gonadotrophin-releasing hormone neurones: towards an emerging consensus

The gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurones represent the final output neurones of a complex neuronal network that controls fertility. It is now appreciated that GABAergic neurones within this network provide an important regulatory influence on GnRH neurones. However, the consequences of direct GABA(A) receptor activation on adult GnRH neurones have been controversial for nearly a decade now, with both hyperpolarising and depolarising effects being reported. This review provides: (i) an overview of GABA(A) receptor function and its investigation using electrophysiological approaches and (ii) re-examines the past and present results relating to GABAergic regulation of the GnRH neurone, with a focus on mouse brain slice data. Although it remains difficult to reconcile the results of the early studies, there is a growing consensus that GABA can act through the GABA(A) receptor to exert both depolarising and hyperpolarising effects on GnRH neurones. The most recent studies examining the effects of endogenous GABA release on GnRH neurones indicate that the predominant action is that of excitation. However, we are still far from a complete understanding of the effects of GABA(A) receptor activation upon GnRH neurones. We argue that this will require not only a better understanding of chloride ion homeostasis in individual GnRH neurones, and within subcellular compartments of the GnRH neurone, but also a more integrative view of how multiple neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and intrinsic conductances act together to regulate the activity of these important cells.

The neurobiology of preovulatory and estradiol-induced gonadotropin-releasing hormone surges

Ovarian steroids normally exert homeostatic negative feedback on GnRH release. During sustained exposure to elevated estradiol in the late follicular phase of the reproductive cycle, however, the feedback action of estradiol switches to positive, inducing a surge of GnRH release from the brain, which signals the pituitary LH surge that triggers ovulation. In rodents, this switch appears dependent on a circadian signal that times the surge to a specific time of day (e.g., late afternoon in nocturnal species). Although the precise nature of this daily signal and the mechanism of the switch from negative to positive feedback have remained elusive, work in the past decade has provided much insight into the role of circadian/diurnal and estradiol-dependent signals in GnRH/LH surge regulation and timing. Here we review the current knowledge of the neurobiology of the GnRH surge, in particular the actions of estradiol on GnRH neurons and their synaptic afferents, the regulation of GnRH neurons by fast synaptic transmission mediated by the neurotransmitters gamma-aminobutyric acid and glutamate, and the host of excitatory and inhibitory neuromodulators including kisspeptin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, catecholamines, neurokinin B, and RFamide-related peptides, that appear essential for GnRH surge regulation, and ultimately ovulation and fertility.

Immunocytochemical evidence that monkey rod bipolar cells use GABA

Certain bipolar cells in most species immunostain for GABA or its synthesizing enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase. However, it is unknown whether they actually release GABA and, if so, from which cellular compartment and by what release mechanism. We investigated these questions in monkey retina where rod bipolar cells immunostain for GABA. We found that rod bipolar cells immunostain for one isoform of GAD (GAD65) in their somas, dendrites and axon terminals. Near the fovea, the somatic stain of rod bipolar cells is weaker than that of horizontal cells but, at the periphery, it is stronger. Staining for the vesicular GABA transporter in monkey rod bipolar cells is negative. However, staining for the GABA transporter GAT3 is positive in the soma and primary dendrites (but not in the axon terminals). Staining for GAT3 is also positive in horizontal cells. Double staining of rod bipolar cells and the alpha subunit of the GABAA receptor reveals scarce GABAA puncta that appose rod bipolar dendrites. We conclude that monkey rod bipolar cells use GABA and discuss the possibility that they tonically release GABA from their dendrites using a reverse action of GAT3.

Maximizing contrast resolution in the outer retina of mammals

The outer retina removes the first-order correlation, the background light level, and thus more efficiently transmits contrast. This removal is accomplished by negative feedback from horizontal cell to photoreceptors. However, the optimal feedback gain to maximize the contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution is not known. The objective of this study was to determine, from the known structure of the outer retina, the synaptic gains that optimize the response to spatial and temporal contrast within natural images. We modeled the outer retina as a continuous 2D extension of the discrete 1D model of Yagi et al. (Proc Int Joint Conf Neural Netw 1: 787-789, 1989). We determined the spatio-temporal impulse response of the model using small-signal analysis, assuming that the stimulus did not perturb the resting state of the feedback system. In order to maximize the efficiency of the feedback system, we derived the relationships between time constants, space constants, and synaptic gains that give the fastest temporal adaptation and the highest spatial resolution of the photoreceptor input to bipolar cells. We found that feedback which directly modulated photoreceptor calcium channel activation, as opposed to changing photoreceptor voltage, provides faster adaptation to light onset and higher spatial resolution. The optimal solution suggests that the feedback gain from horizontal cells to photoreceptors should be approximately 0.5. The model can be extended to retinas that have two or more horizontal cell networks with different space constants. The theoretical predictions closely match experimental observations of outer retinal function.

Guinea pig horizontal cells express GABA, the GABA-synthesizing enzyme GAD 65, and the GABA vesicular transporter

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is likely expressed in horizontal cells of all species, although conflicting physiological findings have led to considerable controversy regarding its role as a transmitter in the outer retina. This study has evaluated key components of the GABA system in the outer retina of guinea pig, an emerging retinal model system. The presence of GABA, its rate-limiting synthetic enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(65) and GAD(67) isoforms), the plasma membrane GABA transporters (GAT-1 and GAT-3), and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) was evaluated by using immunohistochemistry with well-characterized antibodies. The presence of GAD(65) mRNA was also evaluated by using laser capture microdissection and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Specific GABA, GAD(65), and VGAT immunostaining was localized to horizontal cell bodies, as well as to their processes and tips in the outer plexiform layer. Furthermore, immunostaining of retinal whole mounts and acutely dissociated retinas showed GAD(65) and VGAT immunoreactivity in both A-type and B-type horizontal cells. However, these cells did not contain GAD(67), GAT-1, or GAT-3 immunoreactivity. GAD(65) mRNA was detected in horizontal cells, and sequencing of the amplified GAD(65) fragment showed approximately 85% identity with other mammalian GAD(65) mRNAs. These studies demonstrate the presence of GABA, GAD(65), and VGAT in horizontal cells of the guinea pig retina, and support the idea that GABA is synthesized from GAD(65), taken up into synaptic vesicles by VGAT, and likely released by a vesicular mechanism from horizontal cells.

Role of neurotransmitter receptors in mediating light-evoked responses in retinal interplexiform cells

Interplexiform (IP) cells are a long-neglected group of retinal neurons the function of which is yet to be determined. Anatomical study indicates that IP cells are located in the inner nuclear layer, juxtaposed with the third-order neurons. However, the synaptic transmission of IP cells in the inner retina is poorly understood. Using whole cell patch-clamp and pharmacological techniques, we extensively studied synaptic receptors in IP cells. The IP cells in amphibian retinal slices were identified by electrical and morphological properties with voltage-clamp recording and Lucifer yellow dialysis. We find that light-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (L-EPSCs) are mediated by AMPA and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors in IP cells. Although both receptors contributed to the amplitude and kinetics of L-EPSCs, AMPA receptor desensitization substantially shaped L-EPSCs in the neurons, similar to those found in the third-order neurons. The light-evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents (L-IPSCs) in IP cells were primarily mediated by strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors with a small component of GABA(C) receptors. GABA(C) receptor rho2 subunits were detected in IP cells with single-cell RT-PCR assays. Expression of GABA(C) receptors is one of the special features for IP cells, distinct from most of the third-order neurons that depend on GABA(A) and glycine receptors to relay the inhibitory signals. However, GABA(A) receptors in IP cells acted like nonsynaptic receptors that were activated by exogenous GABA application. Furthermore, L-IPSCs in IP cells were inhibited by the serial inhibitions between amacrine cells in the inner retina. In addition, application of neurotransmitters on the axon terminals of IP cells had no significant current generated in the cells, indicating that the synaptic inputs of IP cells are mainly from the inner retina. This study demonstrates the important role that light signals are encoded by both experiment of inhibitory receptors in IP cells.

Receptive fields of retinal bipolar cells are mediated by heterogeneous synaptic circuitry

Center-surround antagonistic receptive field (CSARF) organization is the basic synaptic circuit that serves as elementary building blocks for spatial information processing in the visual system. Cells with such receptive fields converge into higher-order visual neurons to form more complex receptive fields. Retinal bipolar cells (BCs) are the first neurons along the visual pathway that exhibit CSARF organization. BCs have been classified according to their response polarities and rod/cone inputs, and they project signals to target cells at different sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer. On the other hand, CSARFs of various types of BCs have been assumed be organized the same way. Here we examined center and surround responses of over 250 salamander BCs, and demonstrated that different types of BCs exhibit different patterns of dye coupling, receptive field center size, surround response strength, and conductance changes associated with center and surround responses. We show that BC receptive field center sizes varied with the degree of BC-BC coupling, and that surround responses of different BCs are mediated by different combinations of five lateral synaptic pathways mediated by the horizontal cells and amacrine cells. The finding of heterogeneous receptive field circuitry fundamentally challenges the common assumption that CSARFs of different subtypes of visual neurons are mediated by the same synaptic pathways. BCs carrying different visual signals use different synaptic circuits to process spatial information, allowing shape and contrast computation be differentially modulated by various lighting and adaptation conditions.

NKCC1 and AE3 appear to accumulate chloride in embryonic motoneurons

During early development, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) depolarizes and excites neurons, contrary to its typical function in the mature nervous system. As a result, developing networks are hyperexcitable and experience a spontaneous network activity that is important for several aspects of development. GABA is depolarizing because chloride is accumulated beyond its passive distribution in these developing cells. Identifying all of the transporters that accumulate chloride in immature neurons has been elusive and it is unknown whether chloride levels are different at synaptic and extrasynaptic locations. We have therefore assessed intracellular chloride levels specifically at synaptic locations in embryonic motoneurons by measuring the GABAergic reversal potential (EGABA) for GABAA miniature postsynaptic currents. When whole cell patch solutions contained 17-52 mM chloride, we found that synaptic EGABA was around -30 mV. Because of the low HCO3- permeability of the GABAA receptor, this value of EGABA corresponds to approximately 50 mM intracellular chloride. It is likely that synaptic chloride is maintained at levels higher than the patch solution by chloride accumulators. We show that the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter, NKCC1, is clearly involved in the accumulation of chloride in motoneurons because blocking this transporter hyperpolarized EGABA and reduced nerve potentials evoked by local application of a GABAA agonist. However, chloride accumulation following NKCC1 block was still clearly present. We find physiological evidence of chloride accumulation that is dependent on HCO3- and sensitive to an anion exchanger blocker. These results suggest that the anion exchanger, AE3, is also likely to contribute to chloride accumulation in embryonic motoneurons.

Glycine input induces the synaptic facilitation in salamander rod photoreceptors

Glycinergic synapses in photoreceptors are made by centrifugal feedback neurons in the network, but the function of the synapses is largely unknown. Here we report that glycinergic input enhances photoreceptor synapses in amphibian retinas. Using specific antibodies against a glycine transporter (GlyT2) and glycine receptor beta subunit, we identified the morphology of glycinergic input in photoreceptor terminals. Electrophysiological recordings indicated that 10 muM glycine depolarized rods and activated voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels in the neurons. The effects facilitated glutamate vesicle release in photoreceptors, meanwhile increased the spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents in Off-bipolar cells. Endogenous glycine feedback also enhanced glutamate transmission in photoreceptors. Additionally, inhibition of a Cl(-) uptake transporter NKCC1 with bumetanid effectively eliminated glycine-evoked a weak depolarization in rods, suggesting that NKCC1 maintains a high Cl(-) level in rods, which causes to depolarize in responding to glycine input. This study reveals a new function of glycine in retinal synaptic transmission.

Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of Na-K-2Cl cotransporter in adult and developing mouse retinas

The Na-K-2Cl cotransporter (NKCC) is a Cl(-) uptake transporter that is responsible for maintaining a Cl(-) equilibrium potential positive to the resting potential in neurons. If NKCC is active, GABA and glycine can depolarize neurons. In view of the abundance of GABAergic and glycinergic synapses in retina, we undertook a series of studies using immunocytochemical techniques to determine the distribution of NKCC in retinas of both developing and adult mice. We found NKCC antibody (T4) labeling present in retinas from wild-type mice, but not in NKCC1-deficient mice, suggesting that the NKCC1 subtype is a major Cl(-) uptake transporter in mouse retina. Strong labeling of NKCC1 was present in horizontal cells and rod-bipolar dendrites in adult mice. Interestingly, we also found that a diffuse labeling pattern was present in photoreceptor terminals. However, NKCC1 was barely detectable in the inner retina of adult mice. Using an antibody against K-Cl cotransporter 2 (KCC2), we found that KCC2, a transporter that extrudes Cl(-), was primarily expressed in the inner retina. The expression of NKCC1 in developing mouse retinas was studied from postnatal day (P) 1 to P21, NKCC1 labeling first appeared in the dendrites of horizontal and rod-bipolar cells as early as P7, followed by photoreceptor terminals between P10-P14; with expression gradually increasing concomitantly with the growth of synaptic terminals and dendrites throughout retinal development. In the inner retina, NKCC1 labeling was initially observed in the inner plexiform layer at P1, but labeling diminished after P5. The developmental increase in NKCC expression only occurred in the outer retina. Our results suggest that the distal synapses and synaptogenesis in mouse retinas undergo a unique process with a high intracellular Cl(-) presence due to NKCC1 expression.

Dendritic impulse collisions and shifting sites of action potential initiation contract and extend the receptive field of an amacrine cell

We evaluated the contributions of somatic and dendritic impulses to the receptive field dimensions of amacrine cells in the amphibian retina. For this analysis, we used the NEURON simulation program with a multicompartmental, multichannel model of an On-Off amacrine cell with a three-dimensional structure obtained through computer tracing techniques. Simulated synaptic inputs were evenly spaced along the dendritic branches and organized into eight annuli of increasing radius. The first set of simulations activated each ring progressively to simulate an area summation experiment, while a second approach activated each annulus individually. Both sets of simulations were done with and without the presence of Na channels in the dendrites and soma. Unexpectedly, the receptive field dimensions observed in the area summation simulations was often smaller than that predicted from the summation of the annular simulations. Collisions of action potentials moving in opposite directions in the dendrites largely accounted for this contraction in receptive field size for the area summation studies. The presence of dendritic Na channels increased the size of the receptive field beyond that achieved in their absence and allowed the physiological size of the receptive field to approximate the physical dimensions of the dendritic tree. This receptive field augmentation was the result of impulse generating ability in the dendrites which enhanced the signal observed at the soma. These simulations provide a plausible mechanistic explanation for physiological recordings from amacrine cells that show similar phenomena.

Differential distribution of glycine transporters in Müller cells and neurons in amphibian retinas

Amphibian retinas are commonly used for electrophysiological studies on neural function and transduction because they share the same general properties as higher vertebrate retinas. Glycinergic synapses have been well described in amphibian retinas. However, the role of glycine transporters in the synapses is largely unknown. We studied the distribution and function of glycine transporters in the retinas from tiger salamanders, mudpuppies, and leopard frogs by immunofluorescence labeling and whole-cell recording methods. Our results indicated that GlyT1- and GlyT2-like transporters were present in Müller cells and neurons, respectively. GlyT1 labeling was present in Müller glial cells and co-localized with Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a Müller cell marker, whereas the GlyT2 immunoreactivity was present in the somas of amacrine cells (ACs) and processes in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and the outer plexiform layer (OPL). Because the axon processes of glycinergic interplexiform cells (IPCs) are the only source of glycine input in the OPL, GlyT2 staining revealed a spatial pattern of the axon processes of IPCs in the OPL. The function of GlyT2 in the IPCs was studied in tiger salamander retinal horizontal cells (HCs) by whole-cell gramicidin perforated recording. The results demonstrated that inhibition of GlyT2 by a specific inhibitor, amoxapine, increased a tonic glycine input to HCs. Thus, the GlyT2 transporter is responsible for uptake of synaptic glycine in the outer retina. We also compared the distribution of glycine transporters in other amphibian species: salamander, mudpuppy, and frog. The results are consistent with the general pattern that GlyT1-like transporters are present in Müller cells and GlyT2-like transporters in neurons in amphibian retinas.

Narrow and wide field amacrine cells fire action potentials in response to depolarization and light stimulation

Action potentials in amacrine cells are important for lateral propagation of signals across the inner retina, but it is unclear how many subclasses of amacrine cells contain voltage-gated sodium channels or can fire action potentials. This study investigated the ability of amacrine cells with narrow (< 200 μm) and wide (> 200 μm) dendritic fields to fire action potentials in response to depolarizing current injections and light stimulation. The pattern of action potentials evoked by current injections revealed two distinct classes of amacrine cells; those that responded with a single action potential (single-spiking cells) and those that responded with repetitive action potentials (repetitive-spiking cells). Repetitive-spiking cells differed from single-spiking cells in several regards: Repetitive-spiking cells were more often wide field cells, while single-spiking cells were more often narrow field cells. Repetitive-spiking cells had larger action potential amplitudes, larger peak voltage-gated NaV currents lower action potential thresholds, and needed less current to induce action potentials. However, there was no difference in the input resistance, holding current or time constant of these two classes of cells. The intrinsic capacity to fire action potentials was mirrored in responses to light stimulation; single-spiking amacrine cells infrequently fired action potentials to light steps, while repetitive-spiking amacrine cells frequently fired numerous action potentials. These results indicate that there are two physiologically distinct classes of amacrine cells based on the intrinsic capacity to fire action potentials.

Multiple functions of cation-chloride cotransporters in the fish retina

A GABA- or glycine-induced increase in Cl(-) permeability can produce either a depolarization or hyperpolarization, depending on the Cl(-) equilibrium potential. It has been shown that retinal neurons express the chloride cotransporters, Na-K-2Cl (NKCC) and K-Cl (KCC), the primary molecular mechanisms that control the intracellular Cl(-) concentration. We thus studied (1) the localization of these cotransporters in the fish retina, and (2) how suppression of cotransporter activity in the fish retina affects function. Specific antibodies against NKCC and KCC2 revealed that both cotransporters were expressed in the outer and inner plexiform layers, and colocalized in many putative amacrine cells and in cells of the ganglion cell layer. However, the somata of putative horizontal cells displayed only NKCC immunoreactivity and many bipolar cells were only immunopositive for KCC2. In the outer retina, application of bumetanide, a specific inhibitor of NKCC activity, (1) increased the steady-state extracellular concentration of K+ ([K+](o)) and enhanced the light-induced decrease in the [K+](o), (2) increased the sPIII photoreceptor-dependent component of the ERG, and (3) reduced the extracellular space volume. In contrast, in the outer retina, application of furosemide, a specific inhibitor of KCC activity, decreased sPIII and the light-induced reduction in [K+](o), but had little effect on steady-state [K+](o). In the inner retina, bumetanide increased the sustained component of the light-induced increase in [K+](o). These findings thus indicate that NKCC and KCC2 control the [K+](o) and extracellular space volume in the retina in addition to regulating GABA- and glycine-mediated synaptic transmission. In addition, the anatomical and electrophysiological results together suggest that all of the major neuronal types in the fish retina are influenced by chloride cotransporter activity.

Low-voltage activated calcium currents in ganglion cells of the tiger salamander retina: Experiment and simulation

We examined the functional properties of a low-voltage-activated (LVA) calcium current in ganglion cells of the neotenous tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum) retina. Our analysis was based on whole-cell recordings from acutely dissociated ganglion cell bodies identified by retrograde dye injections. Using a continuously perfused cell preparation, the LVA current was isolated with the use of potassium channel blocking agents added to the bathing medium and the pipette solution, while tetrodotoxin was added to the bathing medium to block Na+channels. Approximately 70% of ganglion cells had an easily identified LVA current. The LVA current activated at membrane potentials more positive than −90 mV, and inactivated rapidly. It was relatively insensitive to nickel (IC50 > 500 μM) and amiloride (IC50 > 750 μM). Voltage- and current-clamp studies allowed us to generate a model of this current using the NEURON simulation program. Studies were also carried out to measure the LVA Ca2+current in ganglion cells with dendrites to confirm that it had a significant dendritic representation. Physiological mechanisms that may depend on LVA Ca2+currents are discussed with an emphasis on the role that dendrites play in ganglion cell function.

Characterization of glycinergic synapses in vertebrate retinas

Glycine is one of the essential neurotransmitters modulating visual signals in retina. Glycine activates Cl(-) permeable receptors that conduct either inhibitory or excitatory actions, depending on the Cl(-) electrical-chemical gradient (E (Cl)) positive or negative to the resting potential in the cells. Interestingly, both glycine-induced inhibitory and excitatory responses are present in adult retinas, and the effects are confined in the inner and outer retinal neurons. Glycine inhibits glutamate synapses in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), resulting in shaping light responses in ganglion cells. In contrast, glycine excites horizontal cells and On-bipolar dendrites in the outer plexiform layer (OPL). The function of glycinergic synapse in the outer retina represents the effect of network feedback from a group of centrifugal neurons, glycinergic interplexiform cells. Moreover, immunocytochemical studies identify glycine receptor subunits (alpha1, alpha2, alpha3 and beta) in retinas, forming picrotoxin-sensitive alpha-homomeric and picrotoxin-insensitive alpha/beta-heteromeric receptors. Glycine receptors are modulated by intracellular Ca(2+) and protein kinas C and A pathways. Extracellular Zn(2+) regulates glycine receptors in a concentration-dependent manner, nanomolar Zn(2+) enhancing glycine responses, and micromolar Zn(2+) suppressing glycine responses in retinal neurons. These studies describe the function and mechanism of glycinergic synapses in retinas.

Endogenous activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors modulates GABAergic transmission to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons and alters their firing rate: a possible local feedback circuit

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the primary central regulators of fertility, receiving input from GABAergic afferents via GABA(A) receptors. We tested whether metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) regulate GABA transmission to GnRH neurons and GnRH neuronal firing pattern. Whole-cell recordings were performed under conditions isolating ionotropic GABA postsynaptic currents (PSCs) in brain slices. The broad-spectrum mGluR agonist 1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) decreased the frequency of GABA(A)-mediated spontaneous PSCs in a reversible manner. Amplitude and kinetics were not altered, suggesting that afferent GABA neurons are the primary targets. TTX eliminated the effects of ACPD in most tested neurons. Group II [2-(2,3-dicarboxycyclopropyl) glycine] and III (L-AP-4) mGluR agonists mediated this response; a group I agonist (3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine) was not effective. The broad-spectrum antagonist alpha-methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG) and/or (RS)-alpha-cyclopropyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine (CPPG) (group III antagonist) enhanced spontaneous PSC frequency, particularly when initial frequency was low, suggesting that endogenous activation of mGluRs regulates GABA transmission to GnRH neurons. Extracellular recordings were used to evaluate GnRH neuron firing rate within the network. ACPD reduced firing rate, and MCPG plus CPPG had an opposite effect, indicating that mGluRs help control excitability of the GnRH network. GnRH neurons express vesicular glutamate transporters, suggesting they may corelease this transmitter. Simulation of firing activity in a GnRH neuron decreased PSC frequency in that cell, an effect blocked by antagonism of mGluRs but not GnRH receptors. These results demonstrate an inhibition of GABAergic inputs to GnRH neurons by mGluRs via a presynaptic mechanism. Through this mechanism, local glutamate milieu, possibly contributed by GnRH neurons themselves, plays an important role in modulating GnRH release and the central regulation of fertility.

Two-photon imaging reveals somatodendritic chloride gradient in retinal ON-type bipolar cells expressing the biosensor Clomeleon

A somatodendritic gradient of Cl(-) concentration ([Cl(-)](i)) has been postulated to generate GABA-evoked responses of different polarity in retinal bipolar cells, hyperpolarizing in OFF cells with low dendritic [Cl(-)](i), and depolarizing in ON cells with high dendritic [Cl(-)](i). As glutamate released by the photoreceptors depolarizes OFF cells and hyperpolarizes ON cells, the bipolars' antagonistic receptive field (RF) could be computed by simply integrating glutamatergic inputs from the RF center and GABAergic inputs from horizontal cells in the RF surround. Using ratiometric two-photon imaging of Clomeleon, a Cl(-) indicator transgenically expressed in ON bipolar cells, we found that dendritic [Cl(-)](i) exceeds somatic [Cl(-)](i) by up to 20 mM and that GABA application can lead to Cl(-) efflux (depolarization) in these dendrites. Blockers of Cl(-) transporters reduced the somatodendritic [Cl(-)](i) gradient. Hence, our results support the idea that ON bipolar cells employ a somatodendritic [Cl(-)](i) gradient to invert GABAergic horizontal cell input.

Shift of intracellular chloride concentration in ganglion and amacrine cells of developing mouse retina

GABA and glycine provide excitatory action during early development: they depolarize neurons and increase intracellular calcium concentration. As neurons mature, GABA and glycine become inhibitory. This switch from excitation to inhibition is thought to result from a shift of intracellular chloride concentration ([Cl-]i) from high to low, but in retina, measurements of [Cl-]i or chloride equilibrium potential (ECl) during development have not been made. Using the developing mouse retina, we systematically measured [Cl-]i in parallel with GABA's actions on calcium and chloride. In ganglion and amacrine cells, fura-2 imaging showed that before postnatal day (P) 6, exogenous GABA, acting via ionotropic GABA receptors, evoked calcium rise, which persisted in HCO3- -free buffer but was blocked with 0 extracellular calcium. After P6, GABA switched to inhibiting spontaneous calcium transients. Concomitant with this switch we observed the following: 6-methoxy-N-ethylquinolinium iodide (MEQ) chloride imaging showed that GABA caused an efflux of chloride before P6 and an influx afterward; gramicidin-perforated-patch recordings showed that the reversal potential for GABA decreased from -45 mV, near threshold for voltage-activated calcium channel, to -60 mV, near resting potential; MEQ imaging showed that [Cl-]i shifted steeply around P6 from 29 to 14 mM, corresponding to a decline of ECl from -39 to -58 mV. We also show that GABAergic amacrine cells became stratified by P4, potentially allowing GABA's excitatory action to shape circuit connectivity. Our results support the hypothesis that a shift from high [Cl-]i to low causes GABA to switch from excitatory to inhibitory.

Endogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid can excite gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons

gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) provides a major synaptic input to GnRH neurons. GnRH neurons maintain high intracellular chloride levels and respond to exogenous GABA with depolarization and action potential firing. We examined the role of synaptic GABA type A receptor (GABA(A)R) activation on the firing activity of GnRH neurons. Targeted extracellular recordings were used to detect firing activity of GnRH neurons in brain slices from adult female mice. Because the brain slice preparation preserves both glutamatergic and GABAergic neuronal networks, the effects of GABA(A)Rs on GnRH neurons were isolated by blocking ionotropic glutamatergic receptors (iGluR). With iGluR blocked, many GnRH neurons remained spontaneously active. Consistent with an excitatory role for GABA, subsequent blockade of GABA(A)Rs suppressed the firing rate in active cells from diestrous females by approximately 40% (P < 0.05; n = 10). GABA(A)R blockade did not affect inactive cells (n = 7), indicating that GABA(A)R-mediated inhibition was not responsible for the lack of firing. In prenatally androgenized females, GnRH neurons exhibit larger, more frequent GABAergic postsynaptic currents than control females. Most cells from prenatally androgenized animals fired spontaneously, and the firing rate was suppressed approximately 80% after GABA(A)R blockade (P < 0.01; n = 8). Blocking GABA(A)R without blocking iGluRs increased the firing rate in GnRH neurons from diestrous females (P < 0.05; n = 6), perhaps attributable to hyperexcitability within the slice network. Our results indicate that GABAergic inputs help generate a portion of action potentials in GnRH neurons; this fraction depends on the level of GABA transmission and postsynaptic responsiveness. The complexities of the GnRH neuron response to GABA make this a potentially critical integration point for central regulation of fertility.

Depolarizing effect of GABA in horizontal cells of the rabbit retina

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) has been characterized as an inhibitory neurotransmitter acting through chloride mediated channels in the adult nervous system. Using gramicidin-perforated patch clamp recordings from horizontal cells dissociated from the retinas of adult rabbits, we found that GABA is able to induce cell depolarization. Ionic currents induced by GABA in dissociated horizontal cells showed a reversal potential close to -30 mV. This value is more positive than the resting potential of these cells (ca. -70 mV). Therefore, according to the Nernst equation, the intracellular chloride concentration in horizontal cells was estimated to be of 44 mM. The depolarizing effect of GABA at the dendrites of horizontal cells may serve to shape the center-surround organization of the receptive fields in retinal cells, thereby securing the shape discrimination of visual input.

Repetitive light stimulation inducing glycine receptor plasticity in the retinal neurons

Neurotransmitter receptor plasticity is a mechanism that can regulate the temporal and intensity encoding of a synapse. While this has been extensively studied as a mechanism of learning, less is known about such processes in sensory systems. This study examines modulation of glycine receptor function at the first synapse in the retina. It was found that horizontal cells, which are postsynaptic to photoreceptors, have glycine receptor currents that are enhanced when internal calcium is elevated. This can be achieved by glutamatergic synaptic input or by activation of voltage-gated calcium channels. When the retina was maintained in a dark-adapted state, the calcium levels in horizontal cells were relatively low. After a series of brief light stimuli, the internal calcium concentration in horizontal cells was elevated, and the glycine currents were faster and greater in amplitude. The increase of internal calcium levels was caused by increased transmitter release from photoreceptors. Thus glycine receptor function is state dependent and can be rapidly altered by synaptic input from photoreceptors. Light stimulation drives glycine receptor plasticity in the retinal neural network.

Chloride equilibrium potential in salamander cones

BACKGROUND

GABAergic inhibition and effects of intracellular chloride ions on calcium channel activity have been proposed to regulate neurotransmission from photoreceptors. To assess the impact of these and other chloride-dependent mechanisms on release from cones, the chloride equilibrium potential (ECl) was determined in red-sensitive, large single cones from the tiger salamander retinal slice.

RESULTS

Whole cell recordings were done using gramicidin perforated patch techniques to maintain endogenous Cl- levels. Membrane potentials were corrected for liquid junction potentials. Cone resting potentials were found to average -46 mV. To measure ECl, we applied long depolarizing steps to activate the calcium-activated chloride current (ICl(Ca)) and then determined the reversal potential for the current component that was inhibited by the Cl- channel blocker, niflumic acid. With this method, ECl was found to average -46 mV. In a complementary approach, we used a Cl-sensitive dye, MEQ, to measure the Cl- flux produced by depolarization with elevated concentrations of K+. The membrane potentials produced by the various high K+ solutions were measured in separate current clamp experiments. Consistent with electrophysiological experiments, MEQ fluorescence measurements indicated that ECl was below -36 mV.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study indicate that ECl is close to the dark resting potential. This will minimize the impact of chloride-dependent presynaptic mechanisms in cone terminals involving GABAa receptors, glutamate transporters and ICl(Ca).

Postsynaptic localization of ?-aminobutyric acid transporters and receptors in the outer plexiform layer of the goldfish retina: An ultrastructural study

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system in the outer plexiform layer (OPL) of the goldfish retina was studied via light and electron immunohistochemistry. The subcellular distributions of immunoreactivity (-IR) of plasma membrane GABA transporters GAT2 and GAT3, the alpha1 and alpha3 subunits of the ionotropic GABA(A) receptor, and the rho1 subunit of the ionotropic GABA(C) receptor were determined. The localization of the GAT2-IR and GAT3-IR to horizontal cell dendrites at the base of the cone synaptic complex was the main characteristic at the ultrastructural level. Very rarely, GAT2-IR and GAT3-IR were found in horizontal cell dendrites innervating rod spherules. alpha1-IR and alpha3-IR were seen in wide bands in the OPL, whereas rho1-IR appeared as a narrow band in the OPL. Most alpha1-IR was intracellular in rod and cone terminals. Membrane-associated alpha1-IR was observed in cone pedicles but not in rod spherules; postsynaptic elements were also labeled. alpha3-IR was concentrated in the lateral elements of horizontal cell dendrites in cone pedicles. In contrast, rho1-IR was found mainly on the spinules of the horizontal cell dendrites in cone pedicles. In addition, in another type of cone pedicle, rho1-IR was found at the position of OFF-bipolar cell dendrites. alpha3-IR and rho1-IR were rarely found in horizontal cell dendrites innervating rods. We suggest that two GABAergic pathways exist in the outer retina- first, a GABAergic positive loop with GABA receptors mainly on the horizontal cell dendrites and spinules and, second, a GABAergic feedback pathway involving GABA receptors on cone pedicles and GABA transporters on horizontal cells and that this pathway presumably modulates feedback strength from horizontal cells to cones.

Segregation and integration of visual channels: layer-by-layer computation of ON-OFF signals by amacrine cell dendrites

The visual system analyzes images through parallel channels, and our data suggest that the first set of parallel representations of the visual world is embodied in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of the retina, in which light-evoked excitatory inputs of the ON and OFF bipolar cells to amacrine cells (ACs) are organized in a layer-by-layer manner. Approximately 30% of ACs have narrowly monostratified dendrites in 1 of the 10 strata of the IPL, and they receive segregated bipolar cell inputs: the light-evoked excitatory cation current, DeltaI(C), in strata 1, 2, and 4 is OFF (predominantly mediated by the OFF bipolar cells), the current in strata 3 and 7-10 is ON (predominantly mediated by ON bipolar cells), and the current in strata 5 and 6 is ON-OFF (mediated by both ON and OFF bipolar cells). The remaining 70% of ACs have broadly monostratified, multistratified, or diffuse dendrites, and they integrate bipolar cell signals through layer-by-layer summation: ACs with dendrites ramified in multiple strata exhibit DeltaI(C)s that are sums of DeltaI(C)s of individual strata. The light-evoked inhibitory chloride current, DeltaI(Cl), in strata 1, 2, and 4-6 is ON-OFF (mediated predominantly by ON-OFF ACs or ON ACs plus OFF ACs), and the DeltaI(Cl) in strata 3 and 7-10 is ON (mediated predominantly by ON ACs). This indicates that the amacrine-amacrine inhibitory synaptic circuitry in the IPL is asymmetrical in favor of the ON channels.

Non-linear, high-gain and sustained-to-transient signal transmission from rods to amacrine cells in dark-adapted retina of Ambystoma

In darkness, On-Off amacrine cells (ACs) of the tiger salamander retina exhibited large spontaneous transient depolarizing potentials (sTDPs) with average peak amplitude of 5.05 +/- 2.5 mV and average frequency of 0.42 +/- 0.25 s(-1). Under voltage-clamp conditions the cell displayed large spontaneous postsynaptic currents (sPSCs) with average peak amplitude of 98 +/- 39 pA and average frequency of 0.45 +/- 0.22 s(-1). To a light step, ACs gave rise to a transient 'On' response at the light onset and a transient 'Off' response at light offset, followed by a train of TDPs ('After' response). Near the response threshold (0.3 activated rhodopsin molecules per rod per second), light-evoked TDPs (leTDPs) of similar amplitude and kinetics as the large sTDPs observed in darkness were seen, and about half of these leTDPs elicited a regenerative potential (RP). Brighter light steps gave rise to more leTDPs and higher rates of RPs in the On, Off and After responses. Within the linear response range of the rods, the AC response was non-linear, with the highest gain (676 +/- 429) near the dark potential. The amplitude of Off responses increased with the duration of the light step, and ACs may use this to encode speeds of moving stimuli: the faster the light object moves, the smaller the AC Off response. Moreover, the number of leTDPs in the AC After response increased with light intensity, and the onset of the After response coincides with bipolar cell tail response recovery. One possible origin of the large sTDPs and leTDPs is the spontaneous and depolarization-induced regenerative calcium potentials (RCaPs) in bipolar cell synaptic terminals. RCaPs in bipolar cell synaptic terminals cause transient glutamate release that results in the sTDPs in darkness, and leTDPs in On, Off and After responses in ACs.

Evidence that different cation chloride cotransporters in retinal neurons allow opposite responses to GABA

GABA gating an anion channel primarily permeable to chloride can hyperpolarize or depolarize, depending on whether the chloride equilibrium potential (E(Cl)) is negative or positive, respectively, to the resting membrane potential (E(rest)). If the transmembrane Cl(-) gradient is set by active transport, those neurons or neuronal regions that exhibit opposite responses to GABA should express different chloride transporters. To test this, we immunostained retina for the K-Cl cotransporter (KCC2) that normally extrudes chloride and for the Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC) that normally accumulates chloride. KCC2 was expressed wherever E(Cl) is either known or predicted to be negative to E(rest) (ganglion cells, bipolar axons, and OFF bipolar dendrites), whereas NKCC was expressed wherever E(Cl) is either known or predicted to be positive to E(rest) (horizontal cells and ON bipolar dendrites). Thus, in the retina, the opposite effects of GABA on different cell types and on different cellular regions are probably primarily determined by the differential targeting of these two chloride transporters.

Zn2+ differentially modulates signals from red- and short wavelength-sensitive cones to horizontal cells in carp retina

The effects of Zn2+ were studied while recording intracellularly from L-type horizontal cells (LHCs) in the isolated, superfused carp retina. In darkness, 25 microM Zn2+ hyperpolarized LHCs and potentiated responses of these cells to 500 nm flashes, but decreased those to 680 nm flashes. Zn2+ did not change photopic electroretinographic P III responses. The differential modulation by Zn2+ persisted when the Zn2+-induced membrane hyperpolarization was compensated by lowering Ca2+ concentration in the perfusate, but it was abolished in the presence of background illumination. Furthermore, the differential modulation no longer existed in the presence of bicuculline, suggesting the involvement of gamma-aminobutyric acid(A) (GABA(A)) receptors. We speculate that the differential modulation may be a consequence of multiple changes caused by Zn2+. Decreased glutamate release from the cone terminal by Zn2+ results in a reduction of cone signals. Zn2+ antagonizes GABA receptors on LHCs, leading to cone signal reduction. On the other hand, Zn2+ may reduce the strength of the negative feedback from LHCs to cones by downregulating the activity of GABA receptors on the cone terminal, which causes a potentiation of LHC light responses. Cone- or wavelength-relevance of the Zn2+-induced feedback strength change may account for the differential modulation.

I4AA-Sensitive chloride current contributes to the center light responses of bipolar cells in the tiger salamander retina

Light-evoked currents in depolarizing and hyperpolarizing bipolar cells (DBCs and HBCs) were recorded under voltage-clamp conditions in living retinal slices of the larval tiger salamander. Responses to illumination at the center of the DBCs' and HBCs' receptive fields were mediated by two postsynaptic currents: DeltaI(C), a glutamate-gated cation current with a reversal potential near 0 mV, and DeltaI(Cl), a chloride current with a reversal potential near -60 mV. In DBCs DeltaI(C) was suppressed by L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP4), and in HBCs it was suppressed by 6,7-dinitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (DNQX). In both DBCs and HBCs DeltaI(Cl) was suppressed by imidazole-4-acetic acid (I4AA), a GABA receptor agonist and GABA(C) receptor antagonist. In all DBCs and HBCs examined, 10 microM I4AA eliminated DeltaI(Cl) and the light-evoked current became predominately mediated by DeltaI(C). The addition of 20 microM L-AP4 to the DBCs or 50 microM DNQX to HBCs completely abolished DeltaI(C). Focal application of glutamate at the inner plexiform layer elicited chloride currents in bipolar cells by depolarizing amacrine cells that release GABA at synapses on bipolar cell axon terminals, and such glutamate-induced chloride currents in DBCs and HBCs could be reversibly blocked by 10 microM I4AA. These experiments suggest that the light-evoked, I4AA-sensitive chloride currents (DeltaI(Cl)) in DBCs and HBCs are mediated by narrow field GABAergic amacrine cells that activate GABA(C) receptors on bipolar cell axon terminals. Picrotoxin (200 microM) or (1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine-4yl) methyphosphinic acid (TPMPA) (2 other GABA(C) receptor antagonists) did not block (but enhanced and broadened) the light-evoked DeltaI(Cl), although they decreased the chloride current induced by puff application of GABA or glutamate. The light response of narrow field amacrine cells were not affected by I4AA, but were substantially enhanced and broadened by picrotoxin. These results suggest that there are at least two types of GABA(C) receptors in bipolar cells: one exhibits stronger I4AA sensitivity than the other, but both can be partially blocked by picrotoxin. The GABA receptors in narrow field amacrine cells are I4AA insensitive and picrotoxin sensitive. The light-evoked DeltaI(Cl) in bipolar cells are mediated by the more strongly I4AA-sensitive GABA(C) receptors. Picrotoxin, although acting as a partial GABA(C) receptor antagonist in bipolar cells, does not suppress DeltaI(Cl) because its presynaptic effects on amacrine cell light responses override its antagonistic postsynaptic actions.

Dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium currents in bipolar cells of salamander retina are inhibited by reductions in extracellular chloride

Dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium currents (I(Ca)) in photoreceptors are unusual in that they can be inhibited by reductions in extracellular chloride. The present study examined whether I(Ca) in retinal bipolar cells, which as in photoreceptors mediates sustained neurotransmission, is also inhibited by reductions in chloride. Nystatin-perforated patch, whole cell recordings were obtained from bipolar cells in a retinal slice preparation of larval tiger salamander. In the presence of Ba(2+), voltage steps above -40 mV evoked sustained inward currents, which were enhanced by the dihydropyridine, (-)BayK8644, and inhibited by nisoldipine. Similar to photoreceptors, replacing Cl(-) with gluconate or CH(3)SO(4) inhibited bipolar cell I(Ca) and produced a negative shift in the current/voltage relationship. Thus, sensitivity to Cl(-) may be a more general property of L-type Ca(2+) channel subtypes that mediate sustained neurotransmission.

Neuronal Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels--homing in on an elusive channel species

Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels control electrical excitability in various peripheral and central populations of neurons. Ca2+ influx through voltage-gated or ligand-operated channels, as well as Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, have been shown to induce substantial Cl- conductances that determine the response to synaptic input, spike rate, and the receptor current of various kinds of neurons. In some neurons, Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels are localized in the dendritic membrane, and their contribution to signal processing depends on the local Cl- equilibrium potential which may differ considerably from those at the membranes of somata and axons. In olfactory sensory neurons, the channels are expressed in ciliary processes of dendritic endings where they serve to amplify the odor-induced receptor current. Recent biophysical studies of signal transduction in olfactory sensory neurons have yielded some insight into the functional properties of Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels expressed in the chemosensory membrane of these cells. Ion selectivity, channel conductance, and Ca2+ sensitivity have been investigated, and the role of the channels in the generation of receptor currents is well understood. However, further investigation of neuronal Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels will require information about the molecular structure of the channel protein, the regulation of channel activity by cellular signaling pathways, as well as the distribution of channels in different compartments of the neuron. To understand the physiological role of these channels it is also important to know the Cl- equilibrium potential in cells or in distinct cell compartments that express Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels. The state of knowledge about most of these aspects is considerably more advanced in non-neuronal cells, in particular in epithelia and smooth muscle. This review, therefore, collects results both from neuronal and from non-neuronal cells with the intent of facilitating research into Ca2+ -activated Cl- channels and their physiological functions in neurons.

The nature of surround-induced depolarizing responses in goldfish cones

Cones in the vertebrate retina project to horizontal and bipolar cells and the horizontal cells feedback negatively to cones. This organization forms the basis for the center/surround organization of the bipolar cells, a fundamental step in the visual signal processing. Although the surround responses of bipolar cells have been recorded on many occasions, surprisingly, the underlying surround-induced responses in cones are not easily detected. In this paper, the nature of the surround-induced responses in cones is studied. Horizontal cells feed back to cones by shifting the activation function of the calcium current in cones to more negative potentials. This shift increases the calcium influx, which increases the neurotransmitter release of the cone. In this paper, we will show that under certain conditions, in addition to this increase of neurotransmitter release, a calcium-dependent chloride current will be activated, which polarizes the cone membrane potential. The question is, whether the modulation of the calcium current or the polarization of the cone membrane potential is the major determinant for feedback-mediated responses in second-order neurons. Depolarizing light responses of biphasic horizontal cells are generated by feedback from monophasic horizontal cells to cones. It was found that niflumic acid blocks the feedback-induced depolarizing responses in cones, while the shift of the calcium current activation function and the depolarizing biphasic horizontal cell responses remain intact. This shows that horizontal cells can feed back to cones, without inducing major changes in the cone membrane potential. This makes the feedback synapse from horizontal cells to cones a unique synapse. Polarization of the presynaptic (horizontal) cell leads to calcium influx in the postsynaptic cell (cone), but due to the combined activity of the calcium current and the calcium-dependent chloride current, the membrane potential of the postsynaptic cell will be hardly modulated, whereas the output of the postsynaptic cell will be strongly modulated. Since no polarization of the postsynaptic cell is needed for these feedback-mediated responses, this mechanism of synaptic transmission can modulate the neurotransmitter release in single synaptic terminals without affecting the membrane potential of the entire cell.

The feedback pathway from horizontal cells to cones. A mini review with a look ahead

The feedback pathway from HCs to cones forms the basis of the surround responses of the bipolar cells and is essential for the spectral opponency of horizontal cells. The nature of this feedback pathway is an issue of debate. Three hypothesis are presented in literature: (1) a GABAA-ergic feedback pathway; (2) a GABA-independent feedback pathway that modulates the Ca-current in cones; and (3) an electrical feedback pathway. In this review the evidence for the various pathways will be discussed. The conclusion is that the available evidence favors the hypothesis that feedback modulates the Ca-current in the cones in a GABA independent way. An alternative role of GABA in the outer plexiform layer is discussed and finally the functional consequences of the negative feedback pathway from horizontal cells to cones are presented.

Postsynaptic response kinetics are controlled by a glutamate transporter at cone photoreceptors

We evaluated the role of the sodium/glutamate transporter at the synaptic terminals of cone photoreceptors in controlling postsynaptic response kinetics. The strategy was to measure the changes in horizontal cell response rate induced by blocking transporter uptake in cones with dihydrokainate (DHK). DHK was chosen as the uptake blocker because, as we show through autoradiographic uptake measurements, DHK specifically blocked uptake in cones without affecting uptake in Mueller cells. Horizontal cells depolarized from about -70 to -20 mV as the exogenous glutamate concentration was increased from approximately 1 to 40 microM, so horizontal cells can serve as "glutamate electrodes" during the light response. DHK slowed the rate of hyperpolarization of the horizontal cells in a dose-dependent way, but didn't affect the kinetics of the cone responses. At 300 microM DHK, the rate of the horizontal cell hyperpolarization was slowed to only 17 +/- 8.5% (mean +/- SD) of control. Translating this to changes in glutamate concentration using the slice dose response curve as calibration in Fig. 2, DHK reduced the rate of removal of glutamate from approximately 0.12 to 0.031 microM/s. The voltage dependence of uptake rate in the transporter alone was capable of modulating glutamate concentration: we blocked vesicular released glutamate with bathed 20 mM Mg2+ and then added 30 microM glutamate to the bath to reestablish a physiological glutamate concentration level at the synapse and thereby depolarize the horizontal cells. Under these conditions, a light flash elicited a 17-mV hyperpolarization in the horizontal cells. When we substituted kainate, which is not transported, for glutamate, horizontal cells were depolarized but light did not elicit any response, indicating that the transporter alone was responsible for the removal of glutamate under these conditions. This suggests that the transporter was both voltage dependent and robust enough to modulate glutamate concentration. The transporter must be at least as effective as diffusion in removing glutamate from the synapse because there is only a very small light response once the transporter is blocked. The transporter, via its voltage dependence on cone membrane potential, appears to contribute significantly to the control of postsynaptic response kinetics.