1
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Wang NK, Liu PK, Kong Y, Tseng YJ, Jenny LA, Nolan ND, Chen N, Wang HH, Hsu CW, Huang WC, Sparrow JR, Lin CS, Tsang SH. Spatiotemporal control of genome engineering in cone photoreceptors. Cell Biosci 2023; 13:119. [PMID: 37381060 PMCID: PMC10304375 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01033-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cones are essential for color recognition, high resolution, and central vision; therefore cone death causes blindness. Understanding the pathophysiology of each cell type in the retina is key to developing therapies for retinal diseases. However, studying the biology of cone cells in the rod-dominant mammalian retina is particularly challenging. In this study, we used a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) recombineering method to knock in the "CreERT2" sequence into the Gnat2 and Arr3 genes, respectively and generated three novel inducible CreERT2 mice with different cone cell specificities. RESULTS These models (Gnat2CreERT2, Arr3T2ACreERT2, and Arr3P2ACreERT2) express temporally controllable Cre recombinase that achieves conditional alleles in cone photoreceptors. Cre-LoxP recombination can be induced as early as postnatal day (PD) two upon tamoxifen injection at varying efficiencies, ranging from 10 to 15% in Gnat2CreERT2, 40% in Arr3T2ACreERT2, and 100% in Arr3P2ACreERT2. Notably, knocking in the P2A-CreERT2 cassette does not affect cone cell morphology and functionality. Most cone-phototransduction enzymes, including Opsins, CNGA3, etc. are not altered except for a reduction in the Arr3 transcript. CONCLUSIONS The Arr3P2ACreERT2 mouse, an inducible cone-specific Cre driver, is a valuable line in studying cone cell biology, function, as well as its relationship with rod and other retinal cells. Moreover, the Cre activity can be induced by delivering tamoxifen intragastrically as early as PD2, which will be useful for studying retinal development or in rapid degenerative mouse models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Kai Wang
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA.
| | - Pei-Kang Liu
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yang Kong
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Yun-Ju Tseng
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Laura A Jenny
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Nicholas D Nolan
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Nelson Chen
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Hung-Hsi Wang
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- College of Arts and Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | - Chun Wei Hsu
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Wan-Chun Huang
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Janet R Sparrow
- Departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Chyuan-Sheng Lin
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Stephen H Tsang
- Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
- Jonas Children's Vision Care, and Bernard and Shirlee Brown Glaucoma Laboratory, Columbia Stem Cell Initiative, Departments of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, Institute of Human Nutrition, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, USA.
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2
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Mathematical analysis of phototransduction reaction parameters in rods and cones. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19529. [PMID: 36376413 PMCID: PMC9663442 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23069-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal photoreceptor cells, rods and cones, convert photons of light into chemical and electrical signals as the first step of the visual transduction cascade. Although the chemical processes in the phototransduction system are very similar to each other in these photoreceptors, the light sensitivity and time resolution of the photoresponse in rods are functionally different than those in the photoresponses of cones. To systematically investigate how photoresponses are divergently regulated in rods and cones, we have developed a detailed mathematical model on the basis of the Hamer model. The current model successfully reconstructed light intensity-, ATP- and GTP-dependent changes in concentrations of phosphorylated visual pigments (VPs), activated transducins (Tr*s) and phosphodiesterases (PDEs) in rods and cones. In comparison to rods, the lower light sensitivity of cones was attributed not only to the lower affinity of activated VPs for Trs but also to the faster desensitization of the VPs. The assumption of an intermediate inactive state, MIIi, in the thermal decay of activated VPs was essential for inducing faster inactivation of VPs in rods, and possibly also in cones.
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3
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Abbas F, Vinberg F. Transduction and Adaptation Mechanisms in the Cilium or Microvilli of Photoreceptors and Olfactory Receptors From Insects to Humans. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:662453. [PMID: 33867944 PMCID: PMC8046925 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.662453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensing changes in the environment is crucial for survival. Animals from invertebrates to vertebrates use both visual and olfactory stimuli to direct survival behaviors including identification of food sources, finding mates, and predator avoidance. In primary sensory neurons there are signal transduction mechanisms that convert chemical or light signals into an electrical response through ligand binding or photoactivation of a receptor, that can be propagated to the olfactory and visual centers of the brain to create a perception of the odor and visual landscapes surrounding us. The fundamental principles of olfactory and phototransduction pathways within vertebrates are somewhat analogous. Signal transduction in both systems takes place in the ciliary sub-compartments of the sensory cells and relies upon the activation of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to close cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) cation channels in photoreceptors to produce a hyperpolarization of the cell, or in olfactory sensory neurons open CNG channels to produce a depolarization. However, while invertebrate phototransduction also involves GPCRs, invertebrate photoreceptors can be either ciliary and/or microvillar with hyperpolarizing and depolarizing responses to light, respectively. Moreover, olfactory transduction in invertebrates may be a mixture of metabotropic G protein and ionotropic signaling pathways. This review will highlight differences of the visual and olfactory transduction mechanisms between vertebrates and invertebrates, focusing on the implications to the gain of the transduction processes, and how they are modulated to allow detection of small changes in odor concentration and light intensity over a wide range of background stimulus levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatima Abbas
- Vinberg Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, John A. Moran Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - Frans Vinberg
- Vinberg Lab, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, John A. Moran Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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4
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Fortenbach C, Peinado Allina G, Shores CM, Karlen SJ, Miller EB, Bishop H, Trimmer JS, Burns ME, Pugh EN. Loss of the K+ channel Kv2.1 greatly reduces outward dark current and causes ionic dysregulation and degeneration in rod photoreceptors. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:211728. [PMID: 33502442 PMCID: PMC7845921 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate retinal photoreceptors signal light by suppressing a circulating “dark current” that maintains their relative depolarization in the dark. This dark current is composed of an inward current through CNG channels and NCKX transporters in the outer segment that is balanced by outward current exiting principally from the inner segment. It has been hypothesized that Kv2.1 channels carry a predominant fraction of the outward current in rods. We examined this hypothesis by comparing whole cell, suction electrode, and electroretinographic recordings from Kv2.1 knockout (Kv2.1−/−) and wild-type (WT) mouse rods. Single cell recordings revealed flash responses with unusual kinetics, and reduced dark currents that were quantitatively consistent with the measured depolarization of the membrane resting potential in the dark. A two-compartment (outer and inner segment) physiological model based on known ionic mechanisms revealed that the abnormal Kv2.1−/− rod photoresponses arise principally from the voltage dependencies of the known conductances and the NCKX exchanger, and a highly elevated fraction of inward current carried by Ca2+ through CNG channels due to the aberrant depolarization. Kv2.1−/− rods had shorter outer segments than WT and dysmorphic mitochondria in their inner segments. Optical coherence tomography of knockout animals demonstrated a slow photoreceptor degeneration over a period of 6 mo. Overall, these findings reveal that Kv2.1 channels carry 70–80% of the non-NKX outward dark current of the mouse rod, and that the depolarization caused by the loss of Kv2.1 results in elevated Ca2+ influx through CNG channels and elevated free intracellular Ca2+, leading to progressive degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Camilla M Shores
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Sarah J Karlen
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Eric B Miller
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Hannah Bishop
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - James S Trimmer
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Marie E Burns
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
| | - Edward N Pugh
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA.,Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
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5
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Oesterle J, Behrens C, Schröder C, Hermann T, Euler T, Franke K, Smith RG, Zeck G, Berens P. Bayesian inference for biophysical neuron models enables stimulus optimization for retinal neuroprosthetics. eLife 2020; 9:e54997. [PMID: 33107821 PMCID: PMC7673784 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
While multicompartment models have long been used to study the biophysics of neurons, it is still challenging to infer the parameters of such models from data including uncertainty estimates. Here, we performed Bayesian inference for the parameters of detailed neuron models of a photoreceptor and an OFF- and an ON-cone bipolar cell from the mouse retina based on two-photon imaging data. We obtained multivariate posterior distributions specifying plausible parameter ranges consistent with the data and allowing to identify parameters poorly constrained by the data. To demonstrate the potential of such mechanistic data-driven neuron models, we created a simulation environment for external electrical stimulation of the retina and optimized stimulus waveforms to target OFF- and ON-cone bipolar cells, a current major problem of retinal neuroprosthetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Oesterle
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Christian Behrens
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Cornelius Schröder
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Thoralf Hermann
- Naturwissenschaftliches und Medizinisches Institut an der Universität TübingenReutlingenGermany
| | - Thomas Euler
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Katrin Franke
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Robert G Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Günther Zeck
- Naturwissenschaftliches und Medizinisches Institut an der Universität TübingenReutlingenGermany
| | - Philipp Berens
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Institute for Bioinformatics and Medical Informatics, University of TübingenTübingenGermany
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6
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Modeling and simulation of phototransduction cascade in vertebrate rod photoreceptors. BMC Ophthalmol 2019; 19:55. [PMID: 30786871 PMCID: PMC6381673 DOI: 10.1186/s12886-019-1048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The activation of phototransduction cascade in rod photoreceptors has been well studied in literature, but there is a lack of a mature kinetic model structure covering both the activation and inactivation processes. Methods In this work, a kinetic model structure is developed to describe the major activation and inactivation processes in vertebrate rod photoreceptors with the electroretinogram (ERG) as output. Simulation was performed to validate developed model structure. Results The developed model structure could fit experimental data with small error. Conclusions The result indicated that the developed model structure could show the inactivation process of phototransduction cascades in the rod photoreceptors.
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7
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Zang J, Neuhauss SCF. The Binding Properties and Physiological Functions of Recoverin. Front Mol Neurosci 2018; 11:473. [PMID: 30618620 PMCID: PMC6306944 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Recoverin (Rcv) is a low molecular-weight, neuronal calcium sensor (NCS) primarily located in photoreceptor outer segments of the vertebrate retina. Calcium ions (Ca2+)-bound Rcv has been proposed to inhibit G-protein-coupled receptor kinase (GRKs) in darkness. During the light response, the Ca2+-free Rcv releases GRK, which in turn phosphorylates visual pigment, ultimately leading to the cessation of the visual transduction cascade. Technological advances over the last decade have contributed significantly to a deeper understanding of Rcv function. These include both biophysical and biochemical approaches that will be discussed in this review article. Furthermore, electrophysiological experiments uncovered additional functions of Rcv, such as regulation of the lifetime of Phosphodiesterase-Transducin complex. Recently, attention has been drawn to different roles in rod and cone photoreceptors.This review article focuses on Rcv binding properties to Ca2+, disc membrane and GRK, and its physiological functions in phototransduction and signal transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zang
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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8
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Tikidji-Hamburyan A, Reinhard K, Storchi R, Dietter J, Seitter H, Davis KE, Idrees S, Mutter M, Walmsley L, Bedford RA, Ueffing M, Ala-Laurila P, Brown TM, Lucas RJ, Münch TA. Rods progressively escape saturation to drive visual responses in daylight conditions. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1813. [PMID: 29180667 PMCID: PMC5703729 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01816-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Rod and cone photoreceptors support vision across large light intensity ranges. Rods, active under dim illumination, are thought to saturate at higher (photopic) irradiances. The extent of rod saturation is not well defined; some studies report rod activity well into the photopic range. Using electrophysiological recordings from retina and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus of cone-deficient and visually intact mice, we describe stimulus and physiological factors that influence photopic rod-driven responses. We find that rod contrast sensitivity is initially strongly reduced at high irradiances, but progressively recovers to allow responses to moderate contrast stimuli. Surprisingly, rods recover faster at higher light levels. A model of rod phototransduction suggests that phototransduction gain adjustments and bleaching adaptation underlie rod recovery. Consistently, exogenous chromophore reduces rod responses at bright background. Thus, bleaching adaptation renders mouse rods responsive to modest contrast at any irradiance. Paradoxically, raising irradiance across the photopic range increases the robustness of rod responses. Rod photoreceptors are thought to be saturated under bright light. Here, the authors describe the physiological parameters that mediate response saturation of rod photoreceptors in mouse retina, and show that rods can drive visual responses in photopic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Tikidji-Hamburyan
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Neurosurgery and Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305-4085, USA
| | - Katja Reinhard
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Visual Circuits Laboratory, Neuro-Electronics Research Flanders, IMEC, KU Leuven and VIB, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Riccardo Storchi
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Johannes Dietter
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hartwig Seitter
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany.,Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Innsbruck, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Katherine E Davis
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Saad Idrees
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marion Mutter
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Tübingen, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lauren Walmsley
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Robert A Bedford
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.,Stryker Imorphics, Worthington House, Towers Business Park, Wilmslow Road, Manchester, M20 2HJ, UK
| | - Marius Ueffing
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Petri Ala-Laurila
- Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering (NBE), Aalto University School of Science and Technology, 00076, Espoo, Finland
| | - Timothy M Brown
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Robert J Lucas
- Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
| | - Thomas A Münch
- Retinal Circuits and Optogenetics, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany. .,Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
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9
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Peinado Allina G, Fortenbach C, Naarendorp F, Gross OP, Pugh EN, Burns ME. Bright flash response recovery of mammalian rods in vivo is rate limited by RGS9. J Gen Physiol 2017; 149:443-454. [PMID: 28302678 PMCID: PMC5379920 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201611692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 02/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Peinado Allina et al. measure rod responses in living mice across a wide range of flash strengths and find that responses are much faster in vivo than ex vivo, though the biochemical mechanisms underlying the kinetics appear to be the same in both cases. Although RGS9 overexpression sped recovery from bright flashes, faster rod recovery did not improve the temporal resolution of scotopic vision. The temporal resolution of scotopic vision is thought to be constrained by the signaling kinetics of retinal rods, which use a highly amplified G-protein cascade to transduce absorbed photons into changes in membrane potential. Much is known about the biochemical mechanisms that determine the kinetics of rod responses ex vivo, but the rate-limiting mechanisms in vivo are unknown. Using paired flash electroretinograms with improved signal-to-noise, we have recorded the amplitude and kinetics of rod responses to a wide range of flash strengths from living mice. Bright rod responses in vivo recovered nearly twice as fast as all previous recordings, although the kinetic consequences of genetic perturbations previously studied ex vivo were qualitatively similar. In vivo, the dominant time constant of recovery from bright flashes was dramatically reduced by overexpression of the RGS9 complex, revealing G-protein deactivation to be rate limiting for recovery. However, unlike previous ex vivo recordings, dim flash responses in vivo were relatively unaffected by RGS9 overexpression, suggesting that other mechanisms, such as calcium feedback dynamics that are strongly regulated by the restricted subretinal microenvironment, act to determine rod dim flash kinetics. To assess the consequences for scotopic vision, we used a nocturnal wheel-running assay to measure the ability of wild-type and RGS9-overexpressing mice to detect dim flickering stimuli and found no improvement when rod recovery was speeded by RGS9 overexpression. These results are important for understanding retinal circuitry, in particular as modeled in the large literature that addresses the relationship between the kinetics and sensitivity of retinal responses and visual perception.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Owen P Gross
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618
| | - Edward N Pugh
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618.,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618.,Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618
| | - Marie E Burns
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618 .,Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618.,Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618
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10
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Phototransduction early steps model based on Beer-Lambert optical law. Vision Res 2017; 131:75-81. [PMID: 28062154 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2016.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The amount of available rhodopsin on the photoreceptor outer segment and its change over time is not considered in classic models of phototransduction. Thus, those models do not take into account the absorptance variation of the outer segment under different brightness conditions. The relationship between the light absorbed by a medium and its absorptance is well described by the Beer-Lambert law. This newly proposed model implements the absorptance variation phenomenon in a set of equations that admit photons per second as input and results in active rhodopsins per second as output. This study compares the classic model of phototransduction developed by Forti et al. (1989) to this new model by using different light stimuli to measure active rhodopsin and photocurrent. The results show a linear relationship between light stimulus and active rhodopsin in the Forti model and an exponential saturation in the new model. Further, photocurrent values have shown that the new model behaves equivalently to the experimental and theoretical data as published by Forti in dark-adapted rods, but fits significantly better under light-adapted conditions. The new model successfully introduced a physics optical law to the standard model of phototransduction adding a new processing layer that had not been mathematically implemented before. In addition, it describes the physiological concept of saturation and delivers outputs in concordance to input magnitudes.
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11
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Vinberg F, Turunen TT, Heikkinen H, Pitkänen M, Koskelainen A. A novel Ca2+-feedback mechanism extends the operating range of mammalian rods to brighter light. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 146:307-21. [PMID: 26415569 PMCID: PMC4586592 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201511412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
A previously unidentified calcium-dependent mechanism contributes to light adaptation in mammalian rods. Sensory cells adjust their sensitivity to incoming signals, such as odor or light, in response to changes in background stimulation, thereby extending the range over which they operate. For instance, rod photoreceptors are extremely sensitive in darkness, so that they are able to detect individual photons, but remain responsive to visual stimuli under conditions of bright ambient light, which would be expected to saturate their response given the high gain of the rod transduction cascade in darkness. These photoreceptors regulate their sensitivity to light rapidly and reversibly in response to changes in ambient illumination, thereby avoiding saturation. Calcium ions (Ca2+) play a major role in mediating the rapid, subsecond adaptation to light, and the Ca2+-binding proteins GCAP1 and GCAP2 (or guanylyl cyclase–activating proteins [GCAPs]) have been identified as important mediators of the photoreceptor response to changes in intracellular Ca2+. However, mouse rods lacking both GCAP1 and GCAP2 (GCAP−/−) still show substantial light adaptation. Here, we determined the Ca2+ dependency of this residual light adaptation and, by combining pharmacological, genetic, and electrophysiological tools, showed that an unknown Ca2+-dependent mechanism contributes to light adaptation in GCAP−/− mouse rods. We found that mimicking the light-induced decrease in intracellular [Ca2+] accelerated recovery of the response to visual stimuli and caused a fourfold decrease of sensitivity in GCAP−/− rods. About half of this Ca2+-dependent regulation of sensitivity could be attributed to the recoverin-mediated pathway, whereas half of it was caused by the unknown mechanism. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the feedback mechanisms regulating the sensitivity of mammalian rods on the second and subsecond time scales are all Ca2+ dependent and that, unlike salamander rods, Ca2+-independent background-induced acceleration of flash response kinetics is rather weak in mouse rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frans Vinberg
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Teemu T Turunen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Hanna Heikkinen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Marja Pitkänen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Ari Koskelainen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland
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12
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Chen CK, Woodruff ML, Fain GL. Rhodopsin kinase and recoverin modulate phosphodiesterase during mouse photoreceptor light adaptation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 145:213-24. [PMID: 25667411 PMCID: PMC4338159 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201411273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Light stimulates rhodopsin in a retinal rod to activate the G protein transducin, which binds to phosphodiesterase (PDE), relieving PDE inhibition and decreasing guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) concentration. The decrease in cGMP closes outer segment channels, producing the rod electrical response. Prolonged exposure to light decreases sensitivity and accelerates response kinetics in a process known as light adaptation, mediated at least in part by a decrease in outer segment Ca(2+). Recent evidence indicates that one of the mechanisms of adaptation in mammalian rods is down-regulation of PDE. To investigate the effect of light and a possible role of rhodopsin kinase (G protein-coupled receptor kinase 1 [GRK1]) and the GRK1-regulating protein recoverin on PDE modulation, we used transgenic mice with decreased expression of GTPase-accelerating proteins (GAPs) and, consequently, a less rapid decay of the light response. This slowed decay made the effects of genetic manipulation of GRK1 and recoverin easier to observe and interpret. We monitored the decay of the light response and of light-activated PDE by measuring the exponential response decay time (τREC) and the limiting time constant (τD), the latter of which directly reflects light-activated PDE decay under the conditions of our experiments. We found that, in GAP-underexpressing rods, steady background light decreased both τREC and τD, and the decrease in τD was nearly linear with the decrease in amplitude of the outer segment current. Background light had little effect on τREC or τD if the gene for recoverin was deleted. Moreover, in GAP-underexpressing rods, increased GRK1 expression or deletion of recoverin produced large and highly significant accelerations of τREC and τD. The simplest explanation of our results is that Ca(2+)-dependent regulation of GRK1 by recoverin modulates the decay of light-activated PDE, and that this modulation is responsible for acceleration of response decay and the increase in temporal resolution of rods in background light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Kang Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 Department of Ophthalmology and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030
| | - Michael L Woodruff
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Department of Ophthalmology, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Gordon L Fain
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Department of Ophthalmology, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Department of Ophthalmology, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Department of Ophthalmology, and Jules Stein Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
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13
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Abstract
Although photoreceptors account for most of the mass and metabolic activity of the retina, their role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy has been largely overlooked. Recent studies suggest that photoreceptors might play a critical role in the diabetes-induced degeneration of retinal capillaries, and thus can no longer be ignored. The present review summarizes diabetes-induced alterations in photoreceptor structure and function, and provides a rationale for further study of a role of photoreceptors in the pathogenesis of the retinopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy S Kern
- Case Western Reserve University, Department of Medicine and Center for Diabetes Research Cleveland, Ohio, USA ; Veterans Administration Medical Center Research Service 151 Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Bruce A Berkowitz
- Wayne State University School of Medicine, Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology and Ophthalmology Detroit, Michigan, USA
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14
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Abstract
Mammalian cones respond to light by closing a cGMP-gated channel via a cascade that includes a heterotrimeric G-protein, cone transducin, comprising Gαt2, Gβ3 and Gγt2 subunits. The function of Gβγ in this cascade has not been examined. Here, we investigate the role of Gβ3 by assessing cone structure and function in Gβ3-null mouse (Gnb3(-/-)). We found that Gβ3 is required for the normal expression of its partners, because in the Gnb3(-/-) cone outer segments, the levels of Gαt2 and Gγt2 are reduced by fourfold to sixfold, whereas other components of the cascade remain unaltered. Surprisingly, Gnb3(-/-) cones produce stable responses with normal kinetics and saturating response amplitudes similar to that of the wild-type, suggesting that cone phototransduction can function efficiently without a Gβ subunit. However, light sensitivity was reduced by approximately fourfold in the knock-out cones. Because the reduction in sensitivity was similar in magnitude to the reduction in Gαt2 level in the cone outer segment, we conclude that activation of Gαt2 in Gnb3(-/-) cones proceeds at a rate approximately proportional to its outer segment concentration, and that activation of phosphodiesterase and downstream cascade components is normal. These results suggest that the main role of Gβ3 in cones is to establish optimal levels of transducin heteromer in the outer segment, thereby indirectly contributing to robust response properties.
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15
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Gross OP, Pugh EN, Burns ME. Calcium feedback to cGMP synthesis strongly attenuates single-photon responses driven by long rhodopsin lifetimes. Neuron 2012; 76:370-82. [PMID: 23083739 PMCID: PMC3594095 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.07.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Rod photoreceptors generate amplified, reproducible responses to single photons via a G protein signaling cascade. Surprisingly, genetic perturbations that dramatically alter the deactivation of the principal signal amplifier, the GPCR rhodopsin (R∗), do not much alter the amplitude of single-photon responses (SPRs). These same perturbations, when crossed into a line lacking calcium feedback regulation of cGMP synthesis, produced much larger alterations in SPR amplitudes. Analysis of SPRs from rods with and without feedback reveal that the consequences of trial-to-trial fluctuations in R∗ lifetime in normal rods are also dampened by feedback regulation of cGMP synthesis. Thus, calcium feedback trumps the mechanisms of R∗ deactivation in determining the SPR amplitude, attenuating responses arising from longer R∗ lifetimes to a greater extent than those arising from shorter ones. As a result, rod SPRs achieve a more stereotyped amplitude, a characteristic considered important for reliable transmission through the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen P. Gross
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Edward N. Pugh
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | - Marie E. Burns
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA
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16
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Gross OP, Pugh EN, Burns ME. Spatiotemporal cGMP dynamics in living mouse rods. Biophys J 2012; 102:1775-84. [PMID: 22768933 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2011] [Revised: 03/02/2012] [Accepted: 03/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Signaling of single photons in rod photoreceptors decreases the concentration of the second messenger, cyclic GMP (cGMP), causing closure of cGMP-sensitive channels located in the plasma membrane. Whether the spatiotemporal profiles of the fall in cGMP are narrow and deep, or broad and shallow, has important consequences for the amplification and the fidelity of signaling. The factors that determine the cGMP profiles include the diffusion coefficient for cGMP, the spontaneous rate of cGMP hydrolysis, and the rate of cGMP synthesis, which is powerfully regulated by calcium feedback mechanisms. Here, using suction electrodes to record light-dependent changes in cGMP-activated current in living mouse rods lacking calcium feedback, we have determined the rate constant of spontaneous cGMP hydrolysis and the longitudinal cGMP diffusion coefficient. These measurements result in a fully constrained spatiotemporal model of phototransduction, which we used to determine the effect of feedback to cGMP synthesis in spatially constricting the fall of cGMP during the single-photon response of normal rods. We find that the spatiotemporal cGMP profiles during the single-photon response are optimized for maximal amplification and preservation of signal linearity, effectively operating within an axial signaling domain of ~2 μm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen P Gross
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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17
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Calcineurin regulates homologous desensitization of natriuretic peptide receptor-A and inhibits ANP-induced testosterone production in MA-10 cells. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41711. [PMID: 22876290 PMCID: PMC3410877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Receptor desensitization is a ubiquitous regulatory mechanism that defines the activatable pool of receptors, and thus, the ability of cells to respond to environmental stimuli. In recent years, the molecular mechanisms controlling the desensitization of a variety of receptors have been established. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underlie desensitization of natriuretic peptide receptors, including natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPR-A). Here we report that calcineurin (protein phosphatase 2B, PP2B, PPP3C) regulates homologous desensitization of NPR-A in murine Leydig tumor (MA-10) cells. We demonstrate that both pharmacological inhibition of calcineurin activity and siRNA-mediated suppression of calcineurin expression potentiate atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-induced cGMP synthesis. Treatment of MA-10 cells with inhibitors of other phosphoprotein phosphatases had little or no effect on ANP-induced cGMP accumulation. In addition, overexpression of calcineurin blunts ANP-induced cGMP synthesis. We also present data indicating that the inhibition of calcineurin potentiates ANP-induced testosterone production. To better understand the contribution of calcineurin in the regulation of NPR-A activity, we examined the kinetics of ANP-induced cGMP signals. We observed transient ANP-induced cGMP signals, even in the presence of phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Inhibition of both calcineurin and phosphodiesterase dramatically slowed the decay in the response. These observations are consistent with a model in which calcineurin mediated dephosphorylation and desensitization of NPR-A is associated with significant inhibition of cGMP synthesis. PDE activity hydrolyzes cGMP, thus lowering intracellular cGMP toward the basal level. Taken together, these data suggest that calcineurin plays a previously unrecognized role in the desensitization of NPR-A and, thereby, inhibits ANP-mediated increases in testosterone production.
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18
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Zang J, Matthews HR. Origin and control of the dominant time constant of salamander cone photoreceptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 140:219-33. [PMID: 22802362 PMCID: PMC3409105 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201110762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Recovery of the light response in vertebrate photoreceptors requires the shutoff of both active intermediates in the phototransduction cascade: the visual pigment and the transducin–phosphodiesterase complex. Whichever intermediate quenches more slowly will dominate photoresponse recovery. In suction pipette recordings from isolated salamander ultraviolet- and blue-sensitive cones, response recovery was delayed, and the dominant time constant slowed when internal [Ca2+] was prevented from changing after a bright flash by exposure to 0Ca2+/0Na+ solution. Taken together with a similar prior observation in salamander red-sensitive cones, these observations indicate that the dominance of response recovery by a Ca2+-sensitive process is a general feature of amphibian cone phototransduction. Moreover, changes in the external pH also influenced the dominant time constant of red-sensitive cones even when changes in internal [Ca2+] were prevented. Because the cone photopigment is, uniquely, exposed to the external solution, this may represent a direct effect of protons on the equilibrium between its inactive Meta I and active Meta II forms, consistent with the notion that the process dominating recovery of the bright flash response represents quenching of the active Meta II form of the cone photopigment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zang
- Physiological Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, England, UK
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19
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Korenbrot JI. Speed, sensitivity, and stability of the light response in rod and cone photoreceptors: facts and models. Prog Retin Eye Res 2012; 31:442-66. [PMID: 22658984 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2011] [Revised: 05/19/2012] [Accepted: 05/21/2012] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The light responses of rod and cone photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina are quantitatively different, yet extremely stable and reproducible because of the extraordinary regulation of the cascade of enzymatic reactions that link photon absorption and visual pigment excitation to the gating of cGMP-gated ion channels in the outer segment plasma membrane. While the molecular scheme of the phototransduction pathway is essentially the same in rods and cones, the enzymes and protein regulators that constitute the pathway are distinct. These enzymes and regulators can differ in the quantitative features of their functions or in concentration if their functions are similar or both can be true. The molecular identity and distinct function of the molecules of the transduction cascade in rods and cones are summarized. The functional significance of these molecular differences is examined with a mathematical model of the signal-transducing enzymatic cascade. Constrained by available electrophysiological, biochemical and biophysical data, the model simulates photocurrents that match well the electrical photoresponses measured in both rods and cones. Using simulation computed with the mathematical model, the time course of light-dependent changes in enzymatic activities and second messenger concentrations in non-mammalian rods and cones are compared side by side.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan I Korenbrot
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94920, USA.
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20
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Roehlecke C, Schumann U, Ader M, Knels L, Funk RH. Influence of blue light on photoreceptors in a live retinal explant system. Mol Vis 2011; 17:876-84. [PMID: 21527999 PMCID: PMC3081800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2011] [Accepted: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The present study was performed to investigate the early effects of blue light irradiation of photoreceptors in retinal explant cultures. METHODS Murine retinal explant cultures were irradiated with visible blue light (405 nm) with an output power of 1 mW/cm2. Dihydroethidium was used to determine the production of reactive oxygen species. Morphological alterations of photoreceptor outer segments were determined by live imaging microscopy with mitochondrial dye JC-1. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy were used for ultrastructural evaluations. Cell death in the retina was assessed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay method. RESULTS Live retinal explants displayed an increase in reactive oxygen species production, as revealed by fluorescent dihydroethidium products in photoreceptor cells after 30 min of blue light exposure. After 3 h of exposure, blue light caused disorganization of the normally neatly stacked outer segments of living photoreceptors. Ultrastructural analysis revealed breaks in the cell membrane surrounding the outer segments, especially in the middle section. The outer segments appeared tortuous, and the lamellar structures had been disrupted. TUNEL-staining revealed that long-term blue light exposure induced photoreceptor cell death. CONCLUSIONS In vitro blue light irradiation of retinal explants is a suitable model system for investigating early ultrastructural changes, as well as damage that leads to cell death in photoreceptor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marius Ader
- CRTD/DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden – Cluster of Excellence, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Lilla Knels
- Institute of Anatomy, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Richard H.W. Funk
- Institute of Anatomy, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany,CRTD/DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden – Cluster of Excellence, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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21
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Burns ME, Pugh EN. Lessons from photoreceptors: turning off g-protein signaling in living cells. Physiology (Bethesda) 2010; 25:72-84. [PMID: 20430952 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00001.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Phototransduction in retinal rods is one of the most extensively studied G-protein signaling systems. In recent years, our understanding of the biochemical steps that regulate the deactivation of the rod's response to light has greatly improved. Here, we summarize recent advances and highlight some of the remaining puzzles in this model signaling system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E Burns
- Departments of Ophthalmology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
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22
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Abstract
In rod photoreceptors, deactivation of the light-activated G-protein-coupled receptor rhodopsin (R*) is initiated by phosphorylation and completed through subsequent binding of visual arrestin (Arr1). The in vivo kinetics of these individual interactions have proven difficult to determine with precision since R* lifetime is much shorter than the lifetimes of downstream G-protein and effector molecules. Here, we have used a transgenic mouse line with accelerated downstream deactivation kinetics to reveal the contribution of Arr1 binding to the overall time course of rhodopsin deactivation. Photoresponses revealed that the lifetime of R* is significantly increased in rods that express half of the normal amount of Arr1, in a manner consistent with a twofold decrease in the rate of Arr1 binding across a wide range of flash strengths. A basic model of photoresponse deactivation consistent with established photoreceptor biochemistry shows that R* phosphorylation and Arr1 binding occur with a time constant of approximately 40 ms in wild-type mouse rods, much faster than previous estimates.
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23
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Burns ME. Deactivation mechanisms of rod phototransduction: the Cogan lecture. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2010; 51:1282-8. [PMID: 20185839 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.09-4366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The absorption of photons in rods and cones of the retina activate homologous biochemical signaling cascades that lead to the electrical changes that subserve the first steps in vision. Persistent activity of the cascade interferes with the ability of the photoreceptor to signal the absorption of subsequent photons, ultimately limiting the photoreceptor's sensitivity and temporal resolution. This article summarizes recent work on transgenic and knockout mouse rods that has revealed the deactivation mechanisms essential for normal response recovery and how each of these processes contributes to the overall time course of the flash response of rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E Burns
- Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Science and Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, California, USA
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24
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Matthews HR, Sampath AP. Photopigment quenching is Ca2+ dependent and controls response duration in salamander L-cone photoreceptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010; 135:355-66. [PMID: 20231373 PMCID: PMC2847922 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200910394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
The time scale of the photoresponse in photoreceptor cells is set by the slowest of the steps that quench the light-induced activity of the phototransduction cascade. In vertebrate photoreceptor cells, this rate-limiting reaction is thought to be either shutoff of catalytic activity in the photopigment or shutoff of the pigment's effector, the transducin-GTP–phosphodiesterase complex. In suction pipette recordings from isolated salamander L-cones, we found that preventing changes in internal [Ca2+] delayed the recovery of the light response and prolonged the dominant time constant for recovery. Evidence that the Ca2+-sensitive step involved the pigment itself was provided by the observation that removal of Cl− from the pigment's anion-binding site accelerated the dominant time constant for response recovery. Collectively, these observations indicate that in L-cones, unlike amphibian rods where the dominant time constant is insensitive to [Ca2+], pigment quenching rate limits recovery and provides an additional mechanism for modulating the cone response during light adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh R Matthews
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, UK.
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25
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Shen L, Caruso G, Bisegna P, Andreucci D, Gurevich V, Hamm H, DiBenedetto E. Dynamics of mouse rod phototransduction and its sensitivity to variation of key parameters. IET Syst Biol 2010; 4:12-32. [PMID: 20001089 PMCID: PMC3833298 DOI: 10.1049/iet-syb.2008.0154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The deep understanding of the biochemical and biophysical basis of visual transduction, makes it ideal for systems-level analysis. A sensitivity analysis is presented for a self-consistent set of parameters involved in mouse phototransduction. The organising framework is a spatio-temporal mathematical model, which includes the geometry of the rod outer segment (ROS), the layered array of the discs, the incisures, the biochemistry of the activation/deactivation cascade and the biophysics of the diffusion of the second messengers in the cytoplasm and the closing of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) gated cationic channels. These modules include essentially all the relevant geometrical, biochemical and biophysical parameters. The parameters are selected from within experimental ranges, to obey basic first principles such as conservation of mass and energy fluxes. By means of the model they are compared to a large set of experimental data, providing a strikingly close match. Following isomerisation of a single rhodopsin R * (single photon response), the sensitivity analysis was carried out on the photo-response, measured both in terms of number of effector molecules produced, and photocurrent suppression, at peak time and the activation and recovery phases of the cascade. The current suppression is found to be very sensitive to variations of the catalytic activities, Hill's coefficients and hydrolysis rates and the geometry of the ROS, including size and shape of the incisures. The activated effector phosphodiesterase (PDE *) is very sensitive to variations of catalytic activity of G-protein activation and the average lifetimes of activated rhodopsin R * and PDE *; however, they are insensitive to geometry and variations of the transduction parameters. Thus the system is separated into two functional modules, activation/deactivation and transduction, each confined in different geometrical domains, communicating through the hydrolysis of cGMP by PDE *, and each sensitive to variations of parameters only in its own module.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Shen
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - G. Caruso
- Construction Technologies Institute, National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - P. Bisegna
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy
| | - D. Andreucci
- Department of Mathematical Methods and Models, University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy
| | - V.V. Gurevich
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - H.E. Hamm
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - E. DiBenedetto
- Department of Mathematics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
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26
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RGS9 concentration matters in rod phototransduction. Biophys J 2009; 97:1538-47. [PMID: 19751658 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2009.06.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2009] [Revised: 06/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/23/2009] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The transduction of light by retinal rods and cones is effected by homologous G-protein cascades whose rates of activation and deactivation determine the sensitivity and temporal resolution of photoreceptor signaling. In mouse rods, the rate-limiting step of deactivation is hydrolysis of GTP by the G-protein-effector complex, catalyzed by the RGS9 complex. Here, we incorporate a "Michaelis module" describing the RGS9 reaction into the conventional scheme for phototransduction and show that this augmented scheme can account precisely for the dominant recovery rate of intact rods in which RGS9 expression varies over a 20-fold range. Furthermore, by screening the parameter space of the scheme with maximum-likelihood methodology, we tested specific hypotheses about the rate constant for rhodopsin deactivation, and about the forward, reverse, and catalytic constants for RGS9-mediated G-protein deactivation. These tests reliably exclude lifetimes > approximately 50 ms for rhodopsin, and reveal that the dominant time constant of rod photoresponse recovery is 1/(V(max)/K(m)) for the RGS9 reaction, with k(cat)/K(m) approximately = 0.04 microm(2) s(-1) and k(cat) > 35 s(-1) (or K(m) > 840 microm(-2)). All together, the new kinetic scheme and analysis explain how and why RGS9 concentration matters in rod phototransduction, and they provide a framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms that rate-limit deactivation in other G-protein systems.
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27
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Solessio E, Umino Y, Cameron DA, Loew E, Engbretson GA, Knox BE, Barlow RB. Light responses in rods of vitamin A-deprived Xenopus. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2009; 50:4477-86. [PMID: 19407019 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.08-3186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Accumulation of free opsin by mutations in rhodopsin or insufficiencies in the visual cycle can lead to retinal degeneration. Free opsin activates phototransduction; however, the link between constitutive activation and retinal degeneration is unclear. In this study, the photoresponses of Xenopus rods rendered constitutively active by vitamin A deprivation were examined. Unlike their mammalian counterparts, Xenopus rods do not degenerate. Contrasting phototransduction in vitamin A-deprived Xenopus rods with phototransduction in constitutively active mammalian rods may provide new understanding of the mechanisms that lead to retinal degeneration. METHODS The photocurrents of Xenopus tadpole rods were measured with suction electrode recordings, and guanylate cyclase activity was measured with the IBMX (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine) jump technique. The amount of rhodopsin in rods was determined by microspectrophotometry. RESULTS The vitamin A-deprived rod outer segments were 60% to 70% the length and diameter of the rods in age-matched animals. Approximately 90% of its opsin content was in the free or unbound form. Analogous to bleaching adaptation, the photoresponses were desensitized (10- to 20-fold) and faster. Unlike bleaching adaptation, the vitamin A-deprived rods maintained near normal saturating (dark) current densities by developing abnormally high rates of cGMP synthesis. Their rate of cGMP synthesis in the dark (15 seconds(-1)) was twofold greater than the maximum levels attainable by control rods ( approximately 7 seconds(-1)). CONCLUSIONS Preserving circulating current density and response range appears to be an important goal for rod homeostasis. However, the compensatory changes associated with vitamin A deprivation in Xenopus rods come at the high metabolic cost of a 15-fold increase in basal ATP consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Solessio
- Department of Ophthalmology, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Center for Vision Research, Syracuse, New York 13210, USA.
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28
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Astakhova LA, Firsov ML, Govardovskii VI. Kinetics of turn-offs of frog rod phototransduction cascade. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009; 132:587-604. [PMID: 18955597 PMCID: PMC2571975 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200810034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The time course of the light-induced activity of phototrandsuction effector enzyme cGMP-phosphodiesterase (PDE) is shaped by kinetics of rhodopsin and transducin shut-offs. The two processes are among the key factors that set the speed and sensitivity of the photoresponse and whose regulation contributes to light adaptation. The aim of this study was to determine time courses of flash-induced PDE activity in frog rods that were dark adapted or subjected to nonsaturating steady background illumination. PDE activity was computed from the responses recorded from solitary rods with the suction pipette technique in Ca2+-clamping solution. A flash applied in the dark-adapted state elicits a wave of PDE activity whose rising and decaying phases have characteristic times near 0.5 and 2 seconds, respectively. Nonsaturating steady background shortens both phases roughly to the same extent. The acceleration may exceed fivefold at the backgrounds that suppress ≈70% of the dark current. The time constant of the process that controls the recovery from super-saturating flashes (so-called dominant time constant) is adaptation independent and, hence, cannot be attributed to either of the processes that shape the main part of the PDE wave. We hypothesize that the dominant time constant in frog rods characterizes arrestin binding to rhodopsin partially inactivated by phosphorylation. A mathematical model of the cascade that considers two-stage rhodopsin quenching and transducin inactivation can mimic experimental PDE activity quite well. The effect of light adaptation on the PDE kinetics can be reproduced in the model by concomitant acceleration on both rhodopsin phosphorylation and transducin turn-off, but not by accelerated arrestin binding. This suggests that not only rhodopsin but also transducin shut-off is under adaptation control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luba A Astakhova
- Sechenov Institute for Evolutionary Physiology & Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, 194223 St. Petersburg, Russia
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Chapter 7 Biology and Functions of the RGS9 Isoforms. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2009; 86:205-27. [DOI: 10.1016/s1877-1173(09)86007-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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Dose-to-duration encoding and signaling beyond saturation in intracellular signaling networks. PLoS Comput Biol 2008; 4:e1000197. [PMID: 18846202 PMCID: PMC2543107 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2008] [Accepted: 09/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular response elicited by an environmental cue typically varies with the strength of the stimulus. For example, in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the concentration of mating pheromone determines whether cells undergo vegetative growth, chemotropic growth, or mating. This implies that the signaling pathways responsible for detecting the stimulus and initiating a response must transmit quantitative information about the intensity of the signal. Our previous experimental results suggest that yeast encode pheromone concentration as the duration of the transmitted signal. Here we use mathematical modeling to analyze possible biochemical mechanisms for performing this “dose-to-duration” conversion. We demonstrate that modulation of signal duration increases the range of stimulus concentrations for which dose-dependent responses are possible; this increased dynamic range produces the counterintuitive result of “signaling beyond saturation” in which dose-dependent responses are still possible after apparent saturation of the receptors. We propose a mechanism for dose-to-duration encoding in the yeast pheromone pathway that is consistent with current experimental observations. Most previous investigations of information processing by signaling pathways have focused on amplitude encoding without considering temporal aspects of signal transduction. Here we demonstrate that dose-to-duration encoding provides cells with an alternative mechanism for processing and transmitting quantitative information about their surrounding environment. The ability of signaling pathways to convert stimulus strength into signal duration results directly from the nonlinear nature of these systems and emphasizes the importance of considering the dynamic properties of signaling pathways when characterizing their behavior. Understanding how signaling pathways encode and transmit quantitative information about the external environment will not only deepen our understanding of these systems but also provide insight into how to reestablish proper function of pathways that have become dysregulated by disease. Cells must be able to detect and respond to changes in their surroundings. Often environmental cues, such as hormones or growth factors, are received by membrane receptors that in turn activate intracellular signaling pathways. These pathways then transmit information about the stimulus to the cellular components required to elicit an appropriate response. In many cases, the nature of the response depends on the dose of the stimulus. Thus, in addition to relaying qualitative information (e.g., the presence or absence of a stimulus), signaling pathways must also transmit quantitative information about the intensity of the stimulus. Here we introduce “dose-to-duration” encoding as an effective strategy for relaying such information. We demonstrate that by providing a mechanism for overcoming saturation effects, modulation of signal duration increases the range of stimulus concentrations for which dose-dependent responses are possible. This increased dynamic range produces the counterintuitive result of “signaling beyond saturation” in which dose-dependent responses are still possible after apparent saturation of the receptors. Finally, we demonstrate that dose-to-duration encoding is used in the yeast mating response pathway and presents a simple mechanism that can account for current experimental observations.
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Nikonov SS, Brown BM, Davis JA, Zuniga FI, Bragin A, Pugh EN, Craft CM. Mouse cones require an arrestin for normal inactivation of phototransduction. Neuron 2008; 59:462-74. [PMID: 18701071 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2008.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2007] [Revised: 04/24/2008] [Accepted: 06/02/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Arrestins are proteins that arrest the activity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). While it is well established that normal inactivation of photoexcited rhodopsin, the GPCR of rod phototransduction, requires arrestin (Arr1), it has been controversial whether the same requirement holds for cone opsin inactivation. Mouse cone photoreceptors express two distinct visual arrestins: Arr1 and Arr4. By means of recordings from cones of mice with one or both arrestins knocked out, this investigation establishes that a visual arrestin is required for normal cone inactivation. Arrestin-independent inactivation is 70-fold more rapid in cones than in rods, however. Dual arrestin expression in cones could be a holdover from ancient genome duplication events that led to multiple isoforms of arrestin, allowing evolutionary specialization of one form while the other maintains the basic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei S Nikonov
- F.M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6069, USA
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Makino CL, Peshenko IV, Wen XH, Olshevskaya EV, Barrett R, Dizhoor AM. A role for GCAP2 in regulating the photoresponse. Guanylyl cyclase activation and rod electrophysiology in GUCA1B knock-out mice. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:29135-43. [PMID: 18723510 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m804445200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyclic GMP serves as the second messenger in visual transduction, linking photon absorption by rhodopsin to the activity of ion channels. Synthesis of cGMP in photoreceptors is supported by a pair of retina-specific guanylyl cyclases, retGC1 and -2. Two neuronal calcium sensors, GCAP1 and GCAP2, confer Ca(2+) sensitivity to guanylyl cyclase activity, but the importance and the contribution of each GCAP is controversial. To explore this issue, the gene GUCA1B, coding for GCAP2, was disrupted in mice, and the capacity for knock-out rods to regulate retGC and generate photoresponses was tested. The knock-out did not compromise rod viability or alter outer segment ultrastructure. Levels of retGC1, retGC2, and GCAP-1 expression did not undergo compensatory changes, but the absence of GCAP2 affected guanylyl cyclase activity in two ways; (a) the maximal rate of cGMP synthesis at low [Ca(2+)] dropped 2-fold and (b) the half-maximal rate of cGMP synthesis was attained at a higher than normal [Ca(2+)]. The addition of an antibody raised against mouse GCAP2 produced similar effects on the guanylyl cyclase activity in wild type retinas. Flash responses of GCAP2 knock-out rods recovered more slowly than normal. Knock-out rods became more sensitive to flashes and to steps of illumination but tended to saturate at lower intensities, as compared with wild type rods. Therefore, GCAP2 regulation of guanylyl cyclase activity quickens the recovery of flash and step responses and adjusts the operating range of rods to higher intensities of ambient illumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clint L Makino
- Department of Ophthalmology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA
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Diffusion of the second messengers in the cytoplasm acts as a variability suppressor of the single photon response in vertebrate phototransduction. Biophys J 2008; 94:3363-83. [PMID: 18400950 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.107.114058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The single photon response in vertebrate phototransduction is highly reproducible despite a number of random components of the activation cascade, including the random activation site, the random walk of an activated receptor, and its quenching in a random number of steps. Here we use a previously generated and tested spatiotemporal mathematical and computational model to identify possible mechanisms of variability reduction. The model permits one to separate the process into modules, and to analyze their impact separately. We show that the activation cascade is responsible for generation of variability, whereas diffusion of the second messengers is responsible for its suppression. Randomness of the activation site contributes at early times to the coefficient of variation of the photoresponse, whereas the Brownian path of a photoisomerized rhodopsin (Rh*) has a negligible effect. The major driver of variability is the turnoff mechanism of Rh*, which occurs essentially within the first 2-4 phosphorylated states of Rh*. Theoretically increasing the number of steps to quenching does not significantly decrease the corresponding coefficient of variation of the effector, in agreement with the biochemical limitations on the phosphorylated states of the receptor. Diffusion of the second messengers in the cytosol acts as a suppressor of the variability generated by the activation cascade. Calcium feedback has a negligible regulatory effect on the photocurrent variability. A comparative variability analysis has been conducted for the phototransduction in mouse and salamander, including a study of the effects of their anatomical differences such as incisures and photoreceptors geometry on variability generation and suppression.
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Xin W, Tran TM, Richter W, Clark RB, Rich TC. Roles of GRK and PDE4 activities in the regulation of beta2 adrenergic signaling. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 131:349-64. [PMID: 18347080 PMCID: PMC2279169 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200709881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
An important focus in cell biology is understanding how different feedback mechanisms regulate G protein-coupled receptor systems. Toward this end we investigated the regulation of endogenous beta(2) adrenergic receptors (beta2ARs) and phosphodiesterases (PDEs) by measuring cAMP signals in single HEK-293 cells. We monitored cAMP signals using genetically encoded cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels. This high resolution approach allowed us to make several observations. (a) Exposure of cells to 1 muM isoproterenol triggered transient increases in cAMP levels near the plasma membrane. Pretreatment of cells with 10 muM rolipram, a PDE4 inhibitor, prevented the decline in the isoproterenol-induced cAMP signals. (b) 1 muM isoproterenol triggered a sustained, twofold increase in phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4) activity. (c) The decline in isoproterenol-dependent cAMP levels was not significantly altered by including 20 nM PKI, a PKA inhibitor, or 3 muM 59-74E, a GRK inhibitor, in the pipette solution; however, the decline in the cAMP levels was prevented when both PKI and 59-74E were included in the pipette solution. (d) After an initial 5-min stimulation with isoproterenol and a 5-min washout, little or no recovery of the signal was observed during a second 5-min stimulation with isoproterenol. (e) The amplitude of the signal in response to the second isoproterenol stimulation was not altered when PKI was included in the pipette solution, but was significantly increased when 59-74E was included. Taken together, these data indicate that either GRK-mediated desensitization of beta2ARs or PKA-mediated stimulation of PDE4 activity is sufficient to cause declines in cAMP signals. In addition, the data indicate that GRK-mediated desensitization is primarily responsible for a sustained suppression of beta2AR signaling. To better understand the interplay between receptor desensitization and PDE4 activity in controlling cAMP signals, we developed a mathematical model of this system. Simulations of cAMP signals using this model are consistent with the experimental data and demonstrate the importance of receptor levels, receptor desensitization, basal adenylyl cyclase activity, and regulation of PDE activity in controlling cAMP signals, and hence, on the overall sensitivity of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenkuan Xin
- Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Center for Lung Biology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL 36688, USA
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Krispel CM, Sokolov M, Chen YM, Song H, Herrmann R, Arshavsky VY, Burns ME. Phosducin regulates the expression of transducin betagamma subunits in rod photoreceptors and does not contribute to phototransduction adaptation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007; 130:303-12. [PMID: 17724163 PMCID: PMC2151643 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200709812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
For over a decade, phosducin's interaction with the betagamma subunits of the G protein, transducin, has been thought to contribute to light adaptation by dynamically controlling the amount of transducin heterotrimer available for activation by photoexcited rhodopsin. In this study we directly tested this hypothesis by characterizing the dark- and light-adapted response properties of phosducin knockout (Pd- / -) rods. Pd- / - rods were notably less sensitive to light than wild-type (WT) rods. The gain of transduction, as measured by the amplification constant using the Lamb-Pugh model of activation, was 32% lower in Pd- / - rods than in WT rods. This reduced amplification correlated with a 36% reduction in the level of transducin betagamma-subunit expression, and thus available heterotrimer in Pd- / - rods. However, commonly studied forms of light adaptation were normal in the absence of phosducin. Thus, phosducin does not appear to contribute to adaptation mechanisms of the outer segment by dynamically controlling heterotrimer availability, but rather is necessary for maintaining normal transducin expression and therefore normal flash sensitivity in rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Krispel
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Ophthamology and Vision Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
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Kerov V, Rubin WW, Natochin M, Melling NA, Burns ME, Artemyev NO. N-terminal fatty acylation of transducin profoundly influences its localization and the kinetics of photoresponse in rods. J Neurosci 2007; 27:10270-7. [PMID: 17881533 PMCID: PMC6672661 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2494-07.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
N-terminal acylation of the alpha-subunits of heterotrimeric G-proteins is believed to play a major role in regulating the cellular localization and signaling of G-proteins, but physiological evidence has been lacking. To examine the functional significance of N-acylation of a well understood G-protein alpha-subunit, transducin (G alpha(t)), we generated transgenic mice that expressed a mutant G alpha(t) lacking N-terminal acylation sequence (G alpha(t)G2A). Rods expressing G alpha(t)G2A showed a severe defect in transducin cellular localization. In contrast to native G alpha(t), which resides in the outer segments of dark-adapted rods, G alpha(t)G2A was found predominantly in the inner compartments of the photoreceptor cells. Remarkably, transgenic rods with the outer segments containing G alpha(t)G2A at 5-6% of the G alpha(t) levels in wild-type rods showed only a sixfold reduction in sensitivity and a threefold decrease in the amplification constant. The much smaller than predicted reduction may reflect an increase in the lateral diffusion of transducin and an increased activation rate by photoexcited rhodopsin or more efficient activation of cGMP phosphodiesterase 6 by G alpha(t)G2A; alternatively, nonlinear relationships between concentration and the activation rate of transducin also potentially contribute to the mismatch between the amplification constant and quantitative expression analysis of G alpha(t)G2A rods. Furthermore, the G2A mutation reduced the GTPase activity of transducin and resulted in two to three times slower than normal recovery of flash responses of transgenic rods, indicating the role of G alpha(t) membrane tethering for its efficient inactivation by the regulator of G-protein signaling 9 GTPase-activating protein complex. Thus, N-acylation is critical for correct compartmentalization of transducin and controls the rate of its deactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasily Kerov
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, and
| | - William W. Rubin
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616
| | - Michael Natochin
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, and
| | - Nathan A. Melling
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616
| | - Marie E. Burns
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616
| | - Nikolai O. Artemyev
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, and
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Yang J, Pawlyk B, Wen XH, Adamian M, Soloviev M, Michaud N, Zhao Y, Sandberg MA, Makino CL, Li T. Mpp4 is required for proper localization of plasma membrane calcium ATPases and maintenance of calcium homeostasis at the rod photoreceptor synaptic terminals. Hum Mol Genet 2007; 16:1017-29. [PMID: 17341488 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddm047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Membrane palmitoylated protein 4 (Mpp4) is a member of the membrane-associated guanylate kinase family. We show that Mpp4 localizes specifically to the plasma membrane of photoreceptor synaptic terminals. Plasma membrane Ca(2+) ATPases (PMCAs), the Ca(2+) extrusion pumps, interact with an Mpp4-dependent presynaptic membrane protein complex that includes Veli3 and PSD95. In mice lacking Mpp4, PMCAs were lost from rod photoreceptor presynaptic membranes. Synaptic ribbons were enlarged, a phenomenon known to correlate with higher Ca(2+). SERCA2 (sarcoplasmic-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase, type 2), which pumps cytosolic Ca(2+) into intracellular Ca(2+) stores and localizes next to the ribbons, was increased. The distribution of IP(3)RII (InsP(3) receptor, type 2), which releases Ca(2+) from the stores, was shifted away from the synaptic terminals. Synaptic transmission to second-order neurons was maintained but was reduced in amplitude. These data suggest that loss of Mpp4 disrupts a Ca(2+) extrusion mechanism at the presynaptic membranes, with ensuing adaptive responses by the photoreceptor to restore Ca(2+) homeostasis. We propose that Mpp4 organizes a presynaptic protein complex that includes PMCAs and has a role in modulating Ca(2+) homeostasis and synaptic transmission in rod photoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Yang
- The Berman-Gund Laboratory for Study of Retinal Degenerations, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA 02114, USA
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Abstract
Phototransduction is the process by which light triggers an electrical signal in a photoreceptor cell. Image-forming vision in vertebrates is mediated by two types of photoreceptors: the rods and the cones. In this review, we provide a summary of the success in which the mouse has served as a vertebrate model for studying rod phototransduction, with respect to both the activation and termination steps. Cones are still not as well-understood as rods partly because it is difficult to work with mouse cones due to their scarcity and fragility. The situation may change, however.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingbin Fu
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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Paillart C, Winkfein RJ, Schnetkamp PPM, Korenbrot JI. Functional characterization and molecular cloning of the K+-dependent Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in intact retinal cone photoreceptors. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 129:1-16. [PMID: 17158950 PMCID: PMC2151608 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200609652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Light-dependent changes in cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) are much faster in the outer segment of cone than rod photoreceptors in the vertebrate retina. In the limit, this rate is determined by the activity of an electrogenic Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger located in the outer segment plasma membrane. We investigate the functional properties of the exchanger activity in intact, single cone photoreceptors isolated from striped bass retina. Exchanger function is characterized through analysis both of the electrogenic exchanger current and cytoplasmic free Ca(2+) measured with optical probes. The exchanger in cones is K(+) dependent and operates both in forward and reverse modes. In the reverse mode, the K(+) dependence of the exchanger is described by binding to a single site with K(1/2) about 3.6 mM. From the retina of the fish we cloned exchanger molecules bassNCKX1 and bassNCKX2. BassNCKX1 is a single class of molecules, homologous to exchangers previously cloned from mammalian rods. BassNCKX2 exists in four splice variants that differ from each other by small sequence differences in the single, large cytoplasmic loop characteristic of these molecules. We used RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction) of individual cells to identify the exchanger molecule specifically expressed in bass single and twin cone photoreceptors. Each and every one of the four bassNCKX2 splice variants is expressed in both single and twin cones indistinguishably. BassNCKX1 is not expressed in cones and, by exclusion, it is likely to be an exchanger expressed in rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Paillart
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
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Krispel CM, Chen D, Melling N, Chen YJ, Martemyanov KA, Quillinan N, Arshavsky VY, Wensel TG, Chen CK, Burns ME. RGS expression rate-limits recovery of rod photoresponses. Neuron 2006; 51:409-16. [PMID: 16908407 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.07.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2005] [Revised: 03/15/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Signaling through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) underlies many cellular processes, yet it is not known which molecules determine the duration of signaling in intact cells. Two candidates are G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) and Regulators of G protein signaling (RGSs), deactivation enzymes for GPCRs and G proteins, respectively. Here we investigate whether GRK or RGS governs the overall rate of recovery of the light response in mammalian rod photoreceptors, a model system for studying GPCR signaling. We show that overexpression of rhodopsin kinase (GRK1) increases phosphorylation of the GPCR rhodopsin but has no effect on photoresponse recovery. In contrast, overexpression of the photoreceptor RGS complex (RGS9-1.Gbeta5L.R9AP) dramatically accelerates response recovery. Our results show that G protein deactivation is normally at least 2.5 times slower than rhodopsin deactivation, resolving a long-standing controversy concerning the mechanism underlying the recovery of rod visual transduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Krispel
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, 95616, USA
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Abstract
Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) constitute a family of proteins that bind specifically to the activated alpha subunits of G proteins (Galpha-GTP), acting as GTPase activating proteins, or GAPs, for the rate of GTP hydrolysis. In this issue of Neuron, Krispel et al. resolve a long-standing puzzle in phototransduction, establishing that RGS9 "GAPping" of G(t)alpha-GTP is the molecular mechanism underlying the dominant recovery time constant of mouse rod photoreceptors and that a precise level of expression of RGS9 is required for normal photoresponse timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward N Pugh
- F. M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, University of Pennsylvania, 422 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
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Nikonov SS, Kholodenko R, Lem J, Pugh EN. Physiological features of the S- and M-cone photoreceptors of wild-type mice from single-cell recordings. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006; 127:359-74. [PMID: 16567464 PMCID: PMC2151510 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200609490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 224] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Cone cells constitute only 3% of the photoreceptors of the wild-type (WT) mouse. While mouse rods have been thoroughly investigated with suction pipette recordings of their outer segment membrane currents, to date no recordings from WT cones have been published, likely because of the rarity of cones and the fragility of their outer segments. Recently, we characterized the photoreceptors of Nrl−/− mice, using suction pipette recordings from their “inner segments” (perinuclear region), and found them to be cones. Here we report the use of this same method to record for the first time the responses of single cones of WT mice, and of mice lacking the α-subunit of the G-protein transducin (Gtα−/−), a loss that renders them functionally rodless. Most cones were found to functionally co-express both S- (λmax = 360 nm) and M- (λmax = 508 nm) cone opsins and to be maximally sensitive at 360 nm (“S-cones”); nonetheless, all cones from the dorsal retina were found to be maximally sensitive at 508 nm (“M-cones”). The dim-flash response kinetics and absolute sensitivity of S- and M-cones were very similar and not dependent on which of the coexpressed cone opsins drove transduction; the time to peak of the dim-flash response was ∼70 ms, and ∼0.2% of the circulating current was suppressed per photoisomerization. Amplification in WT cones (A ∼4 s−2) was found to be about twofold lower than in rods (A ∼8 s−2). Mouse M-cones maintained their circulating current at very nearly the dark adapted level even when >90% of their M-opsin was bleached. S-cones were less tolerant to bleached S-opsin than M-cones to bleached M-opsin, but still far more tolerant than mouse rods to bleached rhodopsin, which exhibit persistent suppression of nearly 50% of their circulating current following a 20% bleach. Thus, the three types of mouse opsin appear distinctive in the degree to which their bleached, unregenerated opsins generate “dark light.”
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei S Nikonov
- FM Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
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Knopp A, Rüppel H. Calcium-sensitive downregulation of the transduction chain in rod photoreceptors of the rat retina. Biophys J 2006; 91:1078-89. [PMID: 16698783 PMCID: PMC1563759 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.106.082271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In vertebrate rod outer segments phototransduction is suggested to be modulated by intracellular Ca. We aimed at verifying this hypothesis by recording saturated photosignals in the rat retina after single and double flashes of light and determining the time t(c) to the beginning of the signal recovery. The time course of Ca(i) after a flash was calculated from a change of the spatial Ca(2+) concentration profile recorded in the space between the rods. After single flashes t(c) increased linearly with the logarithm of flash intensity, confirming the assumption that t(c) is determined by deactivation of a single species X* in the phototransduction cascade. The photoresponse was shortened up to 45% if the test flash was preceded by a conditioning preflash. The shortening depended on the reduction of Ca(i) induced by the preflash. The data suggest that the phototransduction gain determining the amount of activated X* is regulated by a Ca(i)-dependent mechanism in a short time period (<800 ms) after the test flash. Lowering of Ca(i) by a preflash reduced the gain up to 20% compared to its value in a dark-adapted rod. The relation between phototransduction gain and Ca(i) revealed a K(1/2) value close to the dark level of Ca(i).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Knopp
- Max-Volmer-Institut of Biophysical Chemistry, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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Caruso G, Bisegna P, Shen L, Andreucci D, Hamm HE, DiBenedetto E. Modeling the role of incisures in vertebrate phototransduction. Biophys J 2006; 91:1192-212. [PMID: 16714347 PMCID: PMC1518654 DOI: 10.1529/biophysj.106.083618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Phototransduction is mediated by a G-protein-coupled receptor-mediated cascade, activated by light and localized to rod outer segment (ROS) disk membranes, which, in turn, drives a diffusion process of the second messengers cGMP and Ca2+ in the ROS cytosol. This process is hindered by disks-which, however, bear physical cracks, known as incisures, believed to favor the longitudinal diffusion of cGMP and Ca2+. This article is aimed at highlighting the biophysical functional role and significance of incisures, and their effect on the local and global response of the photocurrent. Previous work on this topic regarded the ROS as well stirred in the radial variables, lumped the diffusion mechanism on the longitudinal axis of the ROS, and replaced the cytosolic diffusion coefficients by effective ones, accounting for incisures through their total patent area only. The fully spatially resolved model recently published by our group is a natural tool to take into account other significant details of incisures, including their geometry and distribution. Using mathematical theories of homogenization and concentrated capacity, it is shown here that the complex diffusion process undergone by the second messengers cGMP and Ca2+ in the ROS bearing incisures can be modeled by a family of two-dimensional diffusion processes on the ROS cross sections, glued together by other two-dimensional diffusion processes, accounting for diffusion in the ROS outer shell and in the bladelike regions comprised by the stack of incisures. Based on this mathematical model, a code has been written, capable of incorporating an arbitrary number of incisures and activation sites, with any given arbitrary distribution within the ROS. The code is aimed at being an operational tool to perform numerical experiments of phototransduction, in rods with incisures of different geometry and structure, under a wide spectrum of operating conditions. The simulation results show that incisures have a dual biophysical function. On the one hand, since incisures line up from disk to disk, they create vertical cytoplasmic channels crossing the disks, thus facilitating diffusion of second messengers; on the other hand, at least in those species bearing multiple incisures, they divide the disks into lobes like the petals of a flower, thus confining the diffusion of activated phosphodiesterase and localizing the photon response. Accordingly, not only the total area of incisures, but their geometrical shape and distribution as well, significantly influence the global photoresponse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Caruso
- Istituto per le Tecnologie della Costruzione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
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Abstract
For over 30 years, photoreceptors have been an outstanding model system for elucidating basic principles in sensory transduction and G protein signaling. Recently, photoreceptors have become an equally attractive model for studying many facets of neuronal cell biology. The primary goal of this review is to illustrate this rapidly growing trend. We will highlight the areas of active research in photoreceptor biology that reveal how different specialized compartments of the cell cooperate in fulfilling its overall function: converting photon absorption into changes in neurotransmitter release. The same trend brings us closer to understanding how defects in photoreceptor signaling can lead to cell death and retinal degeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E Burns
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
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Hamer RD, Nicholas SC, Tranchina D, Lamb TD, Jarvinen JLP. Toward a unified model of vertebrate rod phototransduction. Vis Neurosci 2006; 22:417-36. [PMID: 16212700 PMCID: PMC1482458 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523805224045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2004] [Accepted: 01/27/2005] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Recently, we introduced a phototransduction model that was able to account for the reproducibility of vertebrate rod single-photon responses (SPRs) (Hamer et al., 2003). The model was able to reproduce SPR statistics by means of stochastic activation and inactivation of rhodopsin (R*), transducin (G alpha ), and phosphodiesterase (PDE). The features needed to capture the SPR statistics were (1) multiple steps of R* inactivation by means of multiple phosphorylations (followed by arrestin capping) and (2) phosphorylation dependence of the affinity between R* and the three molecules competing to bind with R* (G alpha, arrestin, and rhodopsin kinase). The model was also able to account for several other rod response features in the dim-flash regime, including SPRs obtained from rods in which various elements of the cascade have been genetically disabled or disrupted. However, the model was not tested under high light-level conditions. We sought to evaluate the extent to which the multiple phosphorylation model could simultaneously account for single-photon response behavior, as well as responses to high light levels causing complete response saturation and/or significant light adaptation (LA). To date no single model, with one set of parameters, has been able to do this. Dim-flash responses and statistics were simulated using a hybrid stochastic/deterministic model and Monte-Carlo methods as in Hamer et al. (2003). A dark-adapted flash series, and stimulus paradigms from the literature eliciting various degrees of light adaptation (LA), were simulated using a full differential equation version of the model that included the addition of Ca2+-feedback onto rhodopsin kinase via recoverin. With this model, using a single set of parameters, we attempted to account for (1) SPR waveforms and statistics (as in Hamer et al., 2003); (2) a full dark-adapted flash-response series, from dim flash to saturating, bright flash levels, from a toad rod; (3) steady-state LA responses, including LA circulating current (as in Koutalos et al., 1995) and LA flash sensitivity measured in rods from four species; (4) step responses from newt rods ( Forti et al., 1989) over a large dynamic range; (5) dynamic LA responses, such as the step-flash paradigm of Fain et al. (1989), and the two-flash paradigm of Murnick and Lamb (1996); and (6) the salient response features from four knockout rod preparations. The model was able to meet this stringent test, accounting for almost all the salient qualitative, and many quantitative features, of the responses across this broad array of stimulus conditions, including SPR reproducibility. The model promises to be useful in testing hypotheses regarding both normal and abnormal photoreceptor function, and is a good starting point for development of a full-range model of cone phototransduction. Informative limitations of the model are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Hamer
- Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA.
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Nymark S, Heikkinen H, Haldin C, Donner K, Koskelainen A. Light responses and light adaptation in rat retinal rods at different temperatures. J Physiol 2005; 567:923-38. [PMID: 16037091 PMCID: PMC1474229 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2005.090662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Rod responses to brief pulses of light were recorded as electroretinogram (ERG) mass potentials across isolated, aspartate-superfused rat retinas at different temperatures and intensities of steady background light. The objective was to clarify to what extent differences in sensitivity, response kinetics and light adaptation between mammalian and amphibian rods can be explained by temperature and outer-segment size without assuming functional differences in the phototransduction molecules. Corresponding information for amphibian rods from the literature was supplemented by new recordings from toad retina. All light intensities were expressed as photoisomerizations per rod (Rh*). In the rat retina, an estimated 34% of incident photons at the wavelength of peak sensitivity caused isomerizations in rods, as the (hexagonally packed) outer segments measured 1.7 microm x 22 microm and had specific absorbance of 0.016 microm(-1) on average. Fractional sensitivity (S) in darkness increased with cooling in a similar manner in rat and toad rods, but the rat function as a whole was displaced to a ca 0.7 log unit higher sensitivity level. This difference can be fully explained by the smaller dimensions of rat rod outer segments, since the same rate of phosphodiesterase (PDE) activation by activated rhodopsin will produce a faster drop in cGMP concentration, hence a larger response in rat than in toad. In the range 15-25 degrees C, the waveform and absolute time scale of dark-adapted dim-flash photoresponses at any given temperature were similar in rat and toad, although the overall temperature dependence of the time to peak (t(p)) was somewhat steeper in rat (Q(10) approximately 4 versus 2-3). Light adaptation was similar in rat and amphibian rods when measured at the same temperature. The mean background intensity that depressed S by 1 log unit at 12 degrees C was in the range 20-50 Rh* s(-1) in both, compared with ca 4500 Rh* s(-1) in rat rods at 36 degrees C. We conclude that it is not necessary to assume major differences in the functional properties of the phototransduction molecules to account for the differences in response properties of mammalian and amphibian rods.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nymark
- Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, Helsinki University of Technology, Finland.
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Nikonov SS, Daniele LL, Zhu X, Craft CM, Swaroop A, Pugh EN. Photoreceptors of Nrl -/- mice coexpress functional S- and M-cone opsins having distinct inactivation mechanisms. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005; 125:287-304. [PMID: 15738050 PMCID: PMC2234018 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.200409208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The retinas of mice null for the neural retina leucine zipper transcription factor (Nrl-/-) contain no rods but are populated instead with photoreceptors that on ultrastructural, histochemical, and molecular criteria appear cone like. To characterize these photoreceptors functionally, responses of single photoreceptors of Nrl-/- mice were recorded with suction pipettes at 35-37 degrees C and compared with the responses of rods of WT mice. Recordings were made either in the conventional manner, with the outer segment (OS) drawn into the pipette ("OS in"), or in a novel configuration with a portion of the inner segment drawn in ("OS out"). Nrl-/- photoreceptor responses recorded in the OS-out configuration were much faster than those of WT rods: for dim-flash responses tpeak = 91 ms vs. 215 ms; for saturating flashes, dominant recovery time constants, tau(D) = 110 ms vs. 240 ms, respectively. Nrl-/- photoreceptors in the OS-in configuration had reduced amplification, sensitivity, and slowed recovery kinetics, but the recording configuration had no effect on rod response properties, suggesting Nrl-/- outer segments to be more susceptible to damage. Functional coexpression of two cone pigments in a single mammalian photoreceptor was established for the first time; the responses of every Nrl-/- cell were driven by both the short-wave (S, lambda(max) approximately 360 nm) and the mid-wave (M, lambda(max) approximately 510 nm) mouse cone pigment; the apparent ratio of coexpressed M-pigment varied from 1:1 to 1:3,000 in a manner reflecting a dorso-ventral retinal position gradient. The role of the G-protein receptor kinase Grk1 in cone pigment inactivation was investigated in recordings from Nrl-/-/Grk1-/- photoreceptors. Dim-flash responses of cells driven by either the S- or the M-cone pigment were slowed 2.8-fold and 7.5-fold, respectively, in the absence of Grk1; the inactivation of the M-pigment response was much more seriously retarded. Thus, Grk1 is essential to normal inactivation of both S- and M-mouse cone opsins, but S-opsin has access to a relatively effective, Grk1-independent inactivation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei S Nikonov
- F. M. Kirby Center for Molecular Ophthalmology, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Kenkre JS, Moran NA, Lamb TD, Mahroo OAR. Extremely rapid recovery of human cone circulating current at the extinction of bleaching exposures. J Physiol 2005; 567:95-112. [PMID: 15932890 PMCID: PMC1474162 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2005.088468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We used a conductive fibre electrode placed in the lower conjunctival sac to record the a-wave of the human photopic electroretinogram elicited by bright white flashes, delivered during, or at different times after, exposure of the eye to bright white illumination that bleached a large fraction (approximately 90%) of the cone photopigment. During steady-state exposures of this intensity, the amplitude of the bright-flash response declined to approximately 50% of its dark-adapted level. After the intense background was turned off, the amplitude of the bright-flash response recovered substantially, for flashes presented within 20 ms of background extinction, and fully, for flashes presented 100 ms after extinction. In addition, a prominent 'background-off a-wave' was observed, beginning within 5-10 ms of background extinction. We interpret these results to show, firstly, that human cones are able to preserve around half of their circulating current during steady-state illumination that bleaches 90% of their pigment and, secondly, that following extinction of such illumination, the cone circulating current is restored within a few tens of milliseconds. This behaviour is in stark contrast to that in human rods, where the circulating current is obliterated by a background that bleaches only a few percent of the pigment, and where full recovery following a large bleach takes at least 20 min, some 50,000 times more slowly than shown here for human cones.
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Affiliation(s)
- J S Kenkre
- Division of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
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Jarvinen JLP, Lamb TD. Inverted photocurrent responses from amphibian rod photoreceptors: role of membrane voltage in response recovery. J Physiol 2005; 566:455-66. [PMID: 15919708 PMCID: PMC1464743 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2005.090258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
We recorded photocurrent responses of retinal rods isolated from cane toads Bufo marinus and clawed frogs Xenopus laevis. With the outer segment drawn part way into the suction pipette, presentation of flashes to the base of the outer segment (outside the pipette) elicited a slow inverted response. Stimulation of the same region, with the outer segment drawn fully in, gave a response of conventional polarity. For moderate to bright flashes a fast transient preceded the slow inverted response. Upon bleaching the tip of the outer segment, the slow inverted response was abolished but the fast initial transient remained, and we attribute this fast component to a capacitive current. Experiments employing simultaneous whole-cell patch-clamp and suction pipette recording revealed that both the fast and slow components of the inverted responses were absent in voltage-clamped cells. In current-clamped cells the slow inverted current response was delayed substantially with respect to the voltage response. We present a computational model for the slow component, in which hyperpolarization leads to increased activity of the Na+ -Ca2+, K+ exchanger, hence lowering the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration, activating guanylyl cyclase, raising cyclic GMP concentration, opening cyclic nucleotide-gated channels, and increasing circulating current in the unstimulated region. For the measured voltage response to stimulation of the base, we solve these equations to predict the photocurrent in the tip, and obtain an adequate explanation of the inverted responses. Our work suggests a novel role for membrane voltage in accelerating the inactivation phase of the response to light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaakko L P Jarvinen
- Physiological Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK.
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