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Rbfox1 expression in amacrine cells is restricted to GABAergic and VGlut3 glycinergic cells. Biosci Rep 2022; 42:231460. [PMID: 35730583 PMCID: PMC9272594 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20220497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Rbfox1 is a multifunctional RNA binding protein that regulates alternative splicing, transcription, mRNA stability and translation. Rbfox1 is an important regulator of gene networks involved in neurogenesis and neuronal function. Disruption of Rbfox function has been associated with several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. We have shown earlier that Rbfox1 is expressed in retinal ganglion and amacrine cells (ACs) and that its downregulation in adult mouse retinas leads to deficiency of depth perception. In this study, we used several markers of ACs, including GABA, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), neuropeptide Y (NPY), glycine transporter (GlyT1) and vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGlut3) to identify types of ACs that express Rbfox1. Expression of Rbfox1 was observed predominantly in GABAergic ACs located in the INL and GCL. All GABAergic/cholinergic starburst ACs and virtually all NPY-positive GABAergic ACs were also Rbfox1-positive. Among glycinergic ACs, a sparse population of Rbfox1/VGlut3-positive cells was identified, indicating that Rbfox1 is expressed in a very small population of glycinergic ACs. These data contributes to our understanding about molecular differences between various types of amacrine cells and the cell-specific gene networks regulated by Rbfox1.
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Ruff T, Peters C, Matsumoto A, Ihle SJ, Morales PA, Gaitanos L, Yonehara K, Del Toro D, Klein R. FLRT3 Marks Direction-Selective Retinal Ganglion Cells That Project to the Medial Terminal Nucleus. Front Mol Neurosci 2021; 14:790466. [PMID: 34955746 PMCID: PMC8696037 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2021.790466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The mammalian retina extracts a multitude of diverse features from the visual scene such as color, contrast, and direction of motion. These features are transmitted separately to the brain by more than 40 different retinal ganglion cell (RGC) subtypes. However, so far only a few genetic markers exist to fully characterize the different RGC subtypes. Here, we present a novel genetic Flrt3-CreERT2 knock-in mouse that labels a small subpopulation of RGCs. Using single-cell injection of fluorescent dyes in Flrt3 positive RGCs, we distinguished four morphological RGC subtypes. Anterograde tracings using a fluorescent Cre-dependent Adeno-associated virus (AAV) revealed that a subgroup of Flrt3 positive RGCs specifically project to the medial terminal nucleus (MTN), which is part of the accessory optic system (AOS) and is essential in driving reflex eye movements for retinal image stabilization. Functional characterization using ex vivo patch-clamp recordings showed that the MTN-projecting Flrt3 RGCs preferentially respond to downward motion in an ON-fashion. These neurons distribute in a regular pattern and most of them are bistratified at the level of the ON and OFF bands of cholinergic starburst amacrine cells where they express the known ON-OFF direction-selective RGC marker CART. Together, our results indicate that MTN-projecting Flrt3 RGCs represent a new functionally homogeneous AOS projecting direction-selective RGC subpopulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Ruff
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Peters
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Akihiro Matsumoto
- Department of Biomedicine, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Stephan J Ihle
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, ETH Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pilar Alcalá Morales
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Louise Gaitanos
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Keisuke Yonehara
- Department of Biomedicine, Nordic-EMBL Partnership for Molecular Medicine, Danish Research Institute of Translational Neuroscience - DANDRITE, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Daniel Del Toro
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Neurosciences, IDIBAPS, CIBERNED, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rüdiger Klein
- Department of Molecules, Signaling, and Development, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
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Kovács-Öller T, Szarka G, Tengölics ÁJ, Ganczer A, Balogh B, Szabó-Meleg E, Nyitrai M, Völgyi B. Spatial Expression Pattern of the Major Ca 2+-Buffer Proteins in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells. Cells 2020; 9:cells9040792. [PMID: 32218175 PMCID: PMC7226302 DOI: 10.3390/cells9040792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The most prevalent Ca2+-buffer proteins (CaBPs: parvalbumin—PV; calbindin—CaB; calretinin—CaR) are widely expressed by various neurons throughout the brain, including the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Even though their retinal expression has been extensively studied, a coherent assessment of topographical variations is missing. To examine this, we performed immunohistochemistry (IHC) in mouse retinas. We found variability in the expression levels and cell numbers for CaR, with stronger and more numerous labels in the dorso-central area. CaBP+ cells contributed to RGCs with all soma sizes, indicating heterogeneity. We separated four to nine RGC clusters in each area based on expression levels and soma sizes. Besides the overall high variety in cluster number and size, the peripheral half of the temporal retina showed the greatest cluster number, indicating a better separation of RGC subtypes there. Multiple labels showed that 39% of the RGCs showed positivity for a single CaBP, 30% expressed two CaBPs, 25% showed no CaBP expression, and 6% expressed all three proteins. Finally, we observed an inverse relation between CaB and CaR expression levels in CaB/CaR dual- and CaB/CaR/PV triple-labeled RGCs, suggesting a mutual complementary function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Kovács-Öller
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Correspondence:
| | - Gergely Szarka
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Ádám J. Tengölics
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Alma Ganczer
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Boglárka Balogh
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Edina Szabó-Meleg
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Miklós Nyitrai
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Béla Völgyi
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary; (G.S.); (A.G.); (B.B.); (E.S.-M.); (M.N.); (B.V.)
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
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Abstract
In primate retina, the calcium-binding protein calbindin is expressed by a variety of neurons including cones, bipolar cells, and amacrine cells but it is not known which type(s) of cell express calbindin in the ganglion cell layer. The present study aimed to identify calbindin-positive cell type(s) in the amacrine and ganglion cell layer of human and marmoset retina using immunohistochemical markers for ganglion cells (RBPMS and melanopsin) and cholinergic amacrine (ChAT) cells. Intracellular injections following immunolabeling was used to reveal the morphology of calbindin-positive cells. In human retina, calbindin-labeled cells in the ganglion cell layer were identified as inner and outer stratifying melanopsin-expressing ganglion cells, and ON ChAT (starburst amacrine) cells. In marmoset, calbindin immunoreactivity in the ganglion cell layer was absent from ganglion cells but present in ON ChAT cells. In the inner nuclear layer of human retina, calbindin was found in melanopsin-expressing displaced ganglion cells and in at least two populations of amacrine cells including about a quarter of the OFF ChAT cells. In marmoset, a very low proportion of OFF ChAT cells was calbindin-positive. These results suggest that in both species there may be two types of OFF ChAT cells. Consistent with previous studies, the ratio of ON to OFF ChAT cells was about 70 to 30 in human and 30 to 70 in marmoset. Our results show that there are species-related differences between different primates with respect to the expression of calbindin.
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Kovács-Öller T, Szarka G, Ganczer A, Tengölics Á, Balogh B, Völgyi B. Expression of Ca 2+-Binding Buffer Proteins in the Human and Mouse Retinal Neurons. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E2229. [PMID: 31067641 PMCID: PMC6539911 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20092229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Ca2+-binding buffer proteins (CaBPs) are widely expressed by various neurons throughout the central nervous system (CNS), including the retina. While the expression of CaBPs by photoreceptors, retinal interneurons and the output ganglion cells in the mammalian retina has been extensively studied, a general description is still missing due to the differences between species, developmental expression patterns and study-to-study discrepancies. Furthermore, CaBPs are occasionally located in a compartment-specific manner and two or more CaBPs can be expressed by the same neuron, thereby sharing the labor of Ca2+ buffering in the intracellular milieu. This article reviews this topic by providing a framework on CaBP functional expression by neurons of the mammalian retina with an emphasis on human and mouse retinas and the three most abundant and extensively studied buffer proteins: parvalbumin, calretinin and calbindin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Kovács-Öller
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Gergely Szarka
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Alma Ganczer
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Ádám Tengölics
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Boglárka Balogh
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
| | - Béla Völgyi
- János Szentágothai Research Centre, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Retinal Electrical Synapses Research Group, National Brain Research Program (NAP 2.0), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1051 Budapest, Hungary.
- Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
- Medical School, University of Pécs, 7624 Pécs, Hungary.
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Park EB, Gu YN, Jeon CJ. Immunocytochemical localization of cholinergic amacrine cells in the bat retina. Acta Histochem 2017; 119:428-437. [PMID: 28483062 DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2017.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2016] [Revised: 04/28/2017] [Accepted: 04/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to localize the cholinergic amacrine cells, one of the key elements of a functional retina, in the retina of a microbat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. The presence and localization of choline acetyltransferase-immunoreactive (ChAT-IR) cells in the microbat retina were investigated using immunocytochemistry, confocal microscopy, and quantitative analysis. These ChAT-IR cells were present in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) and inner part of the inner nuclear layer (INL), as previously reported in various animals. However, the bat retina also contained some ChAT-IR cells in the outer part of the INL. The dendrites of these cells extended into the outer plexiform layer, and those of the cells in the inner INL extended within the outer part of the inner plexiform layer (IPL). The dendrites of the ChAT-IR cells in the GCL extended into the middle of the IPL and some fibers ramified up to the outer IPL. The average densities of ChAT-IR cells in the GCL, inner INL, and outer INL were 259±31cells/mm2, 469±48cells/mm2, and 59±8cells/mm2, respectively. The average total density of the ChAT-IR cells was 788±58cells/mm2 (mean±S.D.; n=3; 2799±182 cells/retina). We also found that the cholinergic amacrine cells in the bat retina contained calbindin, one of the calcium-binding proteins, but not calretinin or parvalbumin. As the cholinergic amacrine cells play key roles in the direction selectivity and optokinetic eye reflex in the other mammalian retinas, the present study might provide better information of the cytoarchitecture of bat retina and the basic sources for further physiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Bee Park
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, South Korea
| | - Ya-Nan Gu
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, South Korea
| | - Chang-Jin Jeon
- Department of Biology, School of Life Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Creative BioResearch Group, College of Natural Sciences, and Brain Science and Engineering Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, South Korea.
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