Morphology and responses to light of the somata, axons, and terminal regions of individual photoreceptors of the giant barnacle

Wiring a periscope--ocelli, retinula axons, visual neuropils and the ancestrality of sea spiders

The Pycnogonida or sea spiders are cryptic, eight-legged arthropods with four median ocelli in a 'periscope' or eye tubercle. In older attempts at reconstructing phylogeny they were Arthropoda incertae sedis, but recent molecular trees placed them as the sister group either to all other euchelicerates or even to all euarthropods. Thus, pycnogonids are among the oldest extant arthropods and hold a key position for the understanding of arthropod evolution. This has stimulated studies of new sets of characters conductive to cladistic analyses, e.g. of the chelifores and of the hox gene expression pattern. In contrast knowledge of the architecture of the visual system is cursory. A few studies have analysed the ocelli and the uncommon "pseudoinverted" retinula cells. Moreover, analyses of visual neuropils are still at the stage of Hanström's early comprehensive works. We have therefore used various techniques to analyse the visual fibre pathways and the structure of their interrelated neuropils in several species. We found that pycnogonid ocelli are innervated to first and second visual neuropils in close vicinity to an unpaired midline neuropil, i.e. possibly the arcuate body, in a way very similar to ancestral euarthropods like Euperipatoides rowelli (Onychophora) and Limulus polyphemus (Xiphosura). This supports the ancestrality of pycnogonids and sheds light on what eyes in the pycnogonid ground plan might have 'looked' like. Recently it was suggested that arthropod eyes originated from simple ocelli similar to larval eyes. Hence, pycnogonid eyes would be one of the early offshoots among the wealth of more sophisticated arthropod eyes.

The dynamics of signaling at the histaminergic photoreceptor synapse of arthropods

Histamine, a ubiquitous aminergic messenger throughout the body, also serves as a neurotransmitter in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In particular, the photoreceptors of adult arthropods use histamine, modulating its release to signal increases and decreases in light intensity. Strong evidence from various arthropod species indicates that histamine is synthesized and stored in photoreceptors, undergoes Ca-dependent release, inhibits postsynaptic interneurons by gating Cl channels, and is then recycled. In Drosophila, the synthetic enzyme, histidine decarboxylase, and the subunits of the histamine-gated chloride channel have been cloned. Possible histamine transporters at synaptic vesicles and for reuptake remain elusive. Indeed, the mechanisms that remove histamine from the synaptic cleft, and that help terminate histamine's action, are unexpectedly complex, their details remaining unresolved. A major pathway in Drosophila, and possibly other arthropod species, is by conjugation of histamine to beta-alanine to form carcinine in adjacent glia. This conjugate then returns to the photoreceptors where it is hydrolysed to liberate histamine, which is then loaded into synaptic vesicles. Evidence from other species suggests that direct reuptake of histamine into the photoreceptors may also occur. Light depolarizes the photoreceptors, causing histamine release and postsynaptic inhibition; dimming hyperpolarizes the photoreceptors, causing a decrease in histamine release and an "off" response in the postsynaptic cell. Further pursuit of histamine's action at these highly specialized synapses should lead to an understanding of how they signal minute changes in presynaptic membrane potential, how they reliably extract signals from noise, and how they adapt to a wide range of presynaptic membrane potentials.

Uptake of precursor and synthesis of transmitter in a histaminergic photoreceptor

As a first step in understanding how the supply of the neurotransmitter histamine is maintained in a photoreceptor, we followed the uptake and metabolism of the immediate precursor of histamine, histidine. [3H]Histidine taken up into photoreceptors and glia was detected using autoradiography, and synthesis of [3H]histamine from [3H]histidine was assayed with thin-layer chromatography. Photoreceptors from barnacles were pulsed (15 min) with [3H]histidine (0.2-200 microM), then maintained in normal saline for up to 24 hr. Autoradiography showed that photoreceptor somata, axons, and presynaptic arbors were labeled, but only weakly, like (nonhistaminergic) ganglion cells. Label instead was concentrated over surrounding glia. Stimulating preparations with light did not increase photoreceptor labeling. Grain counts from photoreceptor axons showed uptake of [3H]histidine into these neurons by a Na+-dependent mechanism with a Km of approximately 50 microM. Over 24 hr only 1% of the [3H]histidine taken up by preparations was converted to [3H]histamine either in the dark or in the light. Injections of [3H]histidine directly into photoreceptors established that synthesis takes place within the photoreceptors and confirmed that stimulation with light did not measurably affect the rate of conversion of [3H]histidine to [3H]histamine. These results suggest that de novo synthesis of transmitter is unlikely to be as important as its reuptake in maintaining neurotransmitter supply in these photoreceptor terminals. In support of this conclusion, photoreceptors accumulated more label when transmitter release was stimulated with high K+ and histamine uptake was antagonized with chlorpromazine.

Uptake of precursor and synthesis of transmitter in a histaminergic photoreceptor

As a first step in understanding how the supply of the neurotransmitter histamine is maintained in a photoreceptor, we followed the uptake and metabolism of the immediate precursor of histamine, histidine. [3H]Histidine taken up into photoreceptors and glia was detected using autoradiography, and synthesis of [3H]histamine from [3H]histidine was assayed with thin-layer chromatography. Photoreceptors from barnacles were pulsed (15 min) with [3H]histidine (0.2-200 microM), then maintained in normal saline for up to 24 hr. Autoradiography showed that photoreceptor somata, axons, and presynaptic arbors were labeled, but only weakly, like (nonhistaminergic) ganglion cells. Label instead was concentrated over surrounding glia. Stimulating preparations with light did not increase photoreceptor labeling. Grain counts from photoreceptor axons showed uptake of [3H]histidine into these neurons by a Na+-dependent mechanism with a Km of approximately 50 microM. Over 24 hr only 1% of the [3H]histidine taken up by preparations was converted to [3H]histamine either in the dark or in the light. Injections of [3H]histidine directly into photoreceptors established that synthesis takes place within the photoreceptors and confirmed that stimulation with light did not measurably affect the rate of conversion of [3H]histidine to [3H]histamine. These results suggest that de novo synthesis of transmitter is unlikely to be as important as its reuptake in maintaining neurotransmitter supply in these photoreceptor terminals. In support of this conclusion, photoreceptors accumulated more label when transmitter release was stimulated with high K+ and histamine uptake was antagonized with chlorpromazine.

Selective, activity-dependent uptake of histamine into an arthropod photoreceptor

The synapses made by many arthropod photoreceptors are disinhibitory and use histamine as their transmitter. Because decreases and not increases in the cleft concentration of transmitter constitute the important event at these synapses, a transporter to clear the cleft of histamine would seem particularly crucial to signal transfer. We report here that 3H-histamine is taken up selectively into barnacle photoreceptors by a Na+-dependent mechanism, presumably a transporter. Using light microscopic autoradiography, we observe heavy label over axons and presynaptic terminals of these neurons when they are stimulated during uptake. The radioactivity taken up was identified as 3H-histamine by thin layer chromatography; no metabolites were detected, even after 5 hr. Radiolabeled 5-hydroxytryptamine and GABA are not taken up by the photoreceptor. 3H-histamine uptake into photoreceptors is decreased markedly by an excess of unlabeled histamine and by chlorpromazine and phenoxybenzamine. Unexpectedly for uptake dependent on the NA+ gradient, photoreceptor terminals label more intensely in the light (when depolarized) than in the dark (when hyperpolarized). Glia label more strongly than photoreceptors in dark-incubated preparations. The presence of presynaptic uptake strengthens the evidence that histamine is the neurotransmitter of arthropod photoreceptors and provides a mechanism by which this synapse could recycle transmitter, control its steady-state cleft concentration, and clear it from the cleft in response to decreases in its release from the photoreceptors.

Selective, activity-dependent uptake of histamine into an arthropod photoreceptor

The synapses made by many arthropod photoreceptors are disinhibitory and use histamine as their transmitter. Because decreases and not increases in the cleft concentration of transmitter constitute the important event at these synapses, a transporter to clear the cleft of histamine would seem particularly crucial to signal transfer. We report here that 3H-histamine is taken up selectively into barnacle photoreceptors by a Na+-dependent mechanism, presumably a transporter. Using light microscopic autoradiography, we observe heavy label over axons and presynaptic terminals of these neurons when they are stimulated during uptake. The radioactivity taken up was identified as 3H-histamine by thin layer chromatography; no metabolites were detected, even after 5 hr. Radiolabeled 5-hydroxytryptamine and GABA are not taken up by the photoreceptor. 3H-histamine uptake into photoreceptors is decreased markedly by an excess of unlabeled histamine and by chlorpromazine and phenoxybenzamine. Unexpectedly for uptake dependent on the NA+ gradient, photoreceptor terminals label more intensely in the light (when depolarized) than in the dark (when hyperpolarized). Glia label more strongly than photoreceptors in dark-incubated preparations. The presence of presynaptic uptake strengthens the evidence that histamine is the neurotransmitter of arthropod photoreceptors and provides a mechanism by which this synapse could recycle transmitter, control its steady-state cleft concentration, and clear it from the cleft in response to decreases in its release from the photoreceptors.

Histochemical localization of acetylcholinesterase in the lateral eye and brain of Limulus polyphemus: might acetylcholine be a neurotransmitter for lateral inhibition in the lateral eye?

The distribution of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the lateral eye and brain of the horseshoe crab was investigated with histochemical means using standard controls to eliminate butyrylcholinesterase and nonspecific staining. Intense staining was observed in the neural plexus of the lateral compound eye, in the lateral optic nerve, and in various neuropils of the brain. Nerve fibers with moderate to weak staining were widespread in the brain. No somata were stained in either the lateral eye or the brain. The distribution of acetylcholinesterase in the supraesophageal ganglia and nerves of the giant barnacle was also investigated for comparison. Although both the median optic nerve of the barnacle and the lateral optic nerve of the horseshoe crab appear to contain the fibers of histaminergic neurons, only the lateral optic nerve of the horseshoe crab shows AChE staining. Other parts of the barnacle nervous system, however, showed intense AChE staining. These results along with the histochemical controls eliminate the possibility that some molecule found in histaminergic neurons accounted for the AChE staining but support the possibility that acetylcholine might be involved as a neurotransmitter in lateral inhibition in the horseshoe crab retina. Two reasonable neurotransmitter candidates for lateral inhibition, histamine and acetylcholine, must now be investigated.

Currents in the presynaptic terminal arbors of barnacle photoreceptors

We have described the currents flowing across the presynaptic membranes of the four median photoreceptors of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilus, using a quasi-voltage clamp arrangement. Membrane potential, measured in the terminal region of one photoreceptor, was controlled in all four terminals by feedback current supplied through the nerve containing the photoreceptors' axons. The [Ca2+]o in the saline was reduced to decrease the Ca2+ current, enabling better voltage control, and tetraethylammonium ion (TEA, 20 mM) was added to block a fast voltage-dependent K+ conductance. Depolarizing voltage steps from the resting potential in the dark (-60 mV) evoked slow, inward Ca(2+)-dependent currents which could be blocked by Co2+, Mg2+, or Cd2+. The Ca2+ currents were followed by large outward currents that persisted for many seconds after the offset of moderate or large pulses. These tail currents increased in magnitude and duration with pulse duration and reversed at about -80 mV, consistent with previous evidence for a Ca(2+)-activated K+ conductance in this membrane. When the Ca(2+)-activated outward current was reduced to zero by increasing the [K+]o so as to set EK at -20 mV, and then stepping the voltage to this value, the step evoked a steady inward Ca2+ current. Thus, the Ca2+ current did not show voltage- or Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation. When Ba2+ was substituted for Ca2+, 500-ms depolarizing steps evoked steady inward currents but no outward currents. In any given experiment, the activation voltage of the Ca2+ or Ba2+ current did not depend on holding potential. At the barnacle photoreceptor's synapse, the postsynaptic cell adapts to maintained presynaptic voltage by a mechanism that is not understood. We conclude that neither Ca2+ current inactivation nor a shift in activation voltage with holding potential can account for this adaptation.

Comparison of the responses to light and to GABA of cells postsynaptic to barnacle photoreceptors (I-cells)

We tested the hypothesis that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the transmitter released by barnacle photoreceptors onto postsynaptic cells (I-cells). GABA was applied to I-cells either by superfusion or by ejecting it with pressure from a pipette positioned close to the I-cell's soma. The I-cell's response to GABA was compared with its response to light (i.e. to the photoreceptors' transmitter) by recording intracellularly from its soma. Bath-applied (100 microns to 10 mM) and pressure-applied GABA (10 mM in pipette) hyperpolarizes I-cells by increasing their conductance, as does the photoreceptors' transmitter. The response to pressure-applied GABA consists of two components; both persist when Co2+ or Cd2+ are added to the saline to block synaptic transmission in the preparation, indicating that GABA affects the I-cell directly rather than affecting a presynaptic cell. GABA hyperpolarizes the I-cell when applied to the cell over the soma and ipsilateral arbor or over the contralateral arbor. The I-cells' responses to GABA and to light both depend on extracellular K+ and are affected by changes in intracellular and extracellular Cl-. However, picrotoxin and beta-guanidinopropionic acid block the response to pressure-applied GABA but do not block the response to light even at an order of magnitude higher concentration. Thus, GABA is not likely to be the transmitter that causes the hyperpolarizing response of the I-cell. It may be a neuromodulator or the transmitter of an unknown input to the I-cell.

Immunocytochemical evidence for the presence of histamine and GABA in photoreceptors of the barnacle (Balanus nubilus)

Biochemical evidence indicates that GABA and histamine may both be synthesized by barnacle photoreceptors (Koike & Tsuda, 1980; Timpe & Stuart, 1984; Callaway & Stuart, 1989b). We used antisera against GABA- and histamine-protein conjugates to determine whether the photoreceptors contain either or both of these antigens. Both antisera labeled all of the photoreceptors in each of the three ocelli. Histamine-like immunoreactivity was found throughout each photoreceptor cell but was most intense at their presynaptic terminals. Histamine-like immunoreactivity was blocked by preincubation of the antibody either with histamine or with a histamine-protein conjugate. GABA-like immunoreactivity was found in all parts of the photoreceptors including the cell body, axon, rhabdomeric dendrites, and presynaptic terminals. GABA-protein conjugates blocked the GABA-like labeling of the photoreceptors, while protein conjugates with histamine, L-glutamate, L-glutamine, beta-alanine, and taurine did not. Histamine-like immunoreactivity in the supraesophageal ganglion was confined to the photoreceptor terminals and a second, loose plexus of endings in the main neuropil. GABA-like immunoreactivity, in contrast, was found in approximately twenty-five pairs of neurons of this ganglion. In the cirral nerves, which are expected to contain inhibitory motoneurons, unidentified axons also labeled with the GABA antiserum.

Properties of barnacle photoreceptor cells in culture

1. Properties of median photoreceptor cells in cultured ocelli from the giant barnacle (Balanus nubilus) were compared in isolated ocelli, ocelli maintained with the supraesophageal ganglion, and fresh ocelli. 2. Cultured photoreceptor cells exhibited slight deterioration after 2-4 weeks. Cell bodies maintained their structure but apparently lost some dendrites. Electron micrographs revealed fewer rhabdomeres. Axons did not degenerate. 3. Intracellularly recorded responses to light in both cultured preparations were qualitatively normal with a small decrease in sensitivity and increase in input resistance. The waveforms of the light responses were normal. 4. The characteristic shadow reflex was maintained after 6 weeks.

Spatial properties of the prolonged depolarizing afterpotential in barnacle photoreceptors. II. Antagonistic interactions

In the preceding article, we investigated the spatial properties of the induction of the prolonged depolarizing afterpotential (PDA) by shifting visual pigment from the rhodopsin (R) to the metarhodopsin (M) state in the barnacle photoreceptor. In this work, we have studied the ranges within the cell of the antagonistic effects on the PDA of M-to-R transfer. When this transfer occurs during a PDA, it depresses the PDA; when it precedes PDA induction, it impedes that induction ("anti-PDA"). These ranges were previously shown (by a statistical technique) to be at least a few tens of nanometers within a half-second (D greater than 10(-13) cm2 s-1). We now demonstrate, with local illumination techniques in which a PDA was induced in one side of the cell and PDA depression or anti-PDA was induced in the other side, that both ranges are much smaller than the cell diameter (approximately 100 microns) within 30 s (D less than 10(-6)). We further show, using a less direct but shorter-range technique involving colored polarized light, that the interaction of the PDA with the anti-PDA is restricted to less than approximately 6 microns (D less than 6 X 10(-9)). This figure is quite low and suggests that the interaction may be confined to the pigment molecules, possibly in a complex of the type suggested in the preceding article.

Adaptation in the input-output relation of the synapse made by the barnacle's photoreceptor

A study was made of synaptic transmission between the four median photoreceptors of the giant barnacle (Balanus nubilus) and their post-synaptic cells (I-cells). Simultaneous intracellular recordings were made from the presynaptic terminal region of a photoreceptor and from the soma of an I-cell. The photoreceptor's membrane potential provided feed-back to bath electrodes that passed current into the receptors' axons, permitting the voltage to be controlled at the point of arborization of their presynaptic terminals. Simultaneous recordings from a second photoreceptor showed that its voltage tracked the first. Step depolarizations of the receptors from their dark resting potential (about -60 mV) caused hyperpolarizations of the I-cell that reached a peak, then decayed to a plateau value. The amplitude of the I-cell's response grew with presynaptic depolarizations, saturating at presynaptic values 10-20 mV depolarized from dark rest. Step hyperpolarizations of the receptors from dark rest evoked depolarizations of the I-cell consisting of an initial peak, which varied greatly in amplitude and wave form from preparation to preparation, followed by a plateau. The presence of this post-synaptic response indicates that transmitter is released continuously from the receptors at their dark resting potential. An input-output relation of the synapse was obtained by presenting step depolarizations from a holding potential of -80 mV, where steady-state transmitter release is shut off. The relation is sigmoidal; in the exponentially rising phase of the curve, a 5-11 mV presynaptic change produces a 10-fold change in post-synaptic response. When the presynaptic holding potential was set at values ranging from -80 to -40 mV, the relation between the I-cell's response and the absolute potential to which the receptor was stepped shifted along the presynaptic voltage axis. The slopes of the input-output relations were roughly parallel or increased as the photoreceptors were held more depolarized. This observation limits the possible mechanisms of the shift.

Is gamma-aminobutyric acid the neurotransmitter of barnacle photoreceptors?

The hypothesis that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the neurotransmitter of barnacle photoreceptors was tested by studying the effect of GABA on the membrane of the cell directly postsynaptic to the photoreceptor, by testing the ability of GABA antagonists to block transmission at this synapse, and by estimating the free GABA content of the photoreceptor. The results of these experiments suggest that GABA is not the photoreceptor's neurotransmitter.

Localized Ca2+ and calcium-activated potassium conductances in terminals of a barnacle photoreceptor

Calcium channels are found in the presynaptic terminals of neurones, where they have a key role in synaptic transmission. They are also found in the somata of many cells, in dendrites and along a few axons. In no cell is the actual distribution of these channels known in detail, because there are no known toxins or other agents suitable for labelling calcium channels, and the current through these channels is usually too small to be quantified with extracellular electrodes. However, several experiments have suggested that the density of the channels is less in the axon than in the cell body or terminal region. Here we have used the indicator dye Arsenazo III in conjunction with an array of photodetectors to examine the spatial influx of calcium in the presynaptic terminal region of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilus. In these cells, calcium entry occurs in a restricted region less than 50 micron in length, which corresponds closely to the region of synaptic contact with second-order cells. Outside this area the magnitude of calcium entry is reduced at least 50-fold. With reasonable assumptions it follows that the calcium channel density is equally localized. In addition, we demonstrate that these cells have a calcium-activated potassium conductance. Since calcium entry is restricted to the synaptic zone, this conductance must be effective only in this region.

Properties of tetraethylammonium ion-resistant K+ channels in the photoreceptor membrane of the giant barnacle

After the offset of illumination, barnacle photoreceptors undergo a large hyperpolarization that lasts seconds or minutes. We studied the mechanisms that generate this afterpotential by recording afterpotentials intracellularly from the medial photoreceptors of the giant barnacle Balanus nubilus. The afterpotential has two components with different time-courses: (a) an earlier component due to an increase in conductance to K+ that is not blocked by extracellular tetraethylammonium ion (TEA+) or 3-aminopyridine (3-AP) and (b) a later component that is sensitive to cardiac glycosides and that requires extracellular K+, suggesting that it is due to an electrogenic Na+ pump. The K+ conductance component increases in amplitude with increasing CA++ concentration and is inhibited by extracellular Co++; the Co++ inhibition can be overcome by increasing the Ca++ concentration. Thus, the K+ conductance component is Ca++ dependent. An afterpotential similar to that evoked by a brief flash of light is generated by depolarization with current in the dark and by eliciting Ca++ action potentials in the presence of TEA+ in the soma, axon, or terminal regions of the photoreceptor. The action potential undershoot is generated by an increase in conductance to K+ that is resistant to TEA+ and 3-AP and inhibited by Co++. The similarity in time-course and pharmacology of the hyperpolarization afterpotentials elicited by (a) a brief flash of light, (b) depolarization with current, and (c) an action potential indicates that Ca++-dependent K+ channels throughout the photoreceptor membrane are responsible for all three hyperpolarizing events.

Transformation of signals by interneurones in the barnacle's visual pathway

1. The photoreceptors of the median eye of the giant barnacle drive decrementally-conducting neurones in the supraoesophageal ganglion termed ;inverting cells' (I-cells) which in turn drive impulse-producing neurones termed ;amplifying cells' (A-cells). Using intracellular recording techniques we have studied the role of I-cells in visual processing.2. Horseradish peroxidase injections show that I-cells are interneurones whose processes are confined to the regions of the photoreceptor terminals on both sides of the bilaterally symmetrical ganglion.3. In the dark, I-cell membrane potentials (-45 mV) are considerably less negative than those of other ganglion cells (-60 to -70 mV). At the onset of a maintained light, I-cells undergo a transient peak hyperpolarization which declines to a steady-state response. Both response components are graded with light intensity.4. The reversal potential of the peak of the I-cell light response depends on the external K(+) concentration more strongly than does the dark resting potential (3-30 mm-K(+)). This evidence indicates that the hyperpolarization results from an increase in the cell's permeability to K(+) ions.5. At the offset of light an I-cell undergoes a transient depolarization that overshoots the dark membrane potential. Dimming of a background light can also cause the I-cell membrane potential to overshoot its dark resting value. This overshoot is associated with a large depolarizing synaptic potential in A-cells.6. An overshoot of the dark resting potential can also be elicited by the break of a hyperpolarizing pulse of current injected into an I-cell. The amplitude of this overshoot increases with pulse duration over a time course of seconds.7. In the presence of external tetraethylammonium ion (TEA) and tetrodotoxin, (TTX), the break of a hyperpolarizing pulse or the onset of a depolarizing pulse can evoke in an I-cell an action potential whose rate of rise and amplitude depend on the external Ca concentration. This action potential can be maintained by replacement of external Ca with Ba, or blocked by addition of 15 mm-Co to the saline. These observation's indicate that depolarizing potential changes in this cell activate a voltage-sensitive Ca conductance.8. When hyperpolarizing current pulses are injected into an I-cell, the voltage during the pulse sags back slowly towards the dark resting potential. Thus, during hyperpolarization with light or current an I-cell's membrane properties change over a time course of seconds.9. The onset of a depolarizing pulse or the offset of a hyperpolarizing pulse of current injected into an I-cell leads to a transient depolarization of a simultaneously impaled A-cell. Synaptic transmission occurs when the I-cell is depolarized to the vicinity of the dark resting potential. The amplitude of the response in an A-cell depends on the rate of change of the I-cell voltage.

Cellular synthesis and axonal transport of gamma-aminobutyric acid in a photoreceptor cell of the barnacle

1. [3H]glutamate or [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was injected into the photoreceptor cell of the lateral ocellus of Balanus eburneus, in order to study the transmitter substance of the cell. 2. The photoreceptor cell synthesized [3H]GABA from injected [3H]glutamate. 3. The newly formed [3H]GABA moved inside the photoreceptor axon towards the axon terminal with a velocity of about 0.9 mm/hr. Injected [3H]GABA moved at 0.9 mm/hr and also at 0.4 mm/hr. 4. Axonally transported [3H]GABA reached the axon terminal within several hours following the injection. It did not accumulate at the terminal, but gradually disappeared. 5. Light-microscope and electron-microscope autoradiography following the injection of [3H]GABA revealed that [3H]-reacted silver grains were present in a certain type of axon terminal. The terminal thus identified as that of a photoreceptor cell contains many clear, polymorphic synaptic vesicles about 300-500 A in diameter, some dense-cored vesicles 700-1300 A in diameter, and glycogen granules. The terminal forms many synapses, and each synapse has a synaptic dense body. The terminal always faces two post-synaptic elements at the synapse, forming a triad with a gap distance of about 160-200 A. 6. A GABA analogue, [3H]di-aminobutyric acid, was selectively taken up into the terminals previously identified as those of photoreceptors. 7. These results support the notion that the transmitter substance of the photoreceptor cell of the barnacle is GABA.

Calcium channels in the high resistivity axonal membrane of photoreceptors of the giant barnacle

1. The distribution of calcium channels in the cell membrane of the photoreceptor neurone of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilus, was studied by recording intracellularly in or near the soma, in the axon, and near the presynaptic terminals. The membrane properties of these different regions of the cell could be studied by separately superfusing each region with test salines or by cutting the axon between two regions. 2. In the presence of tetraethylammonium (TEA) or 3-aminopyridine (3-AP), but not in their absence, Ca dependent action potentials could be evoked with depolarizing current pulses in the somatic, axonal, and terminal regions. Consequently, voltage-sensitive Ca channels and TEA-sensitive channels are present in all three regions of the cell. 3. The action potentials recorded from the three regions were similar in their slow times-to-peak (30-300 msec), long durations (0.2-2 sec in 100 mM-TEA), and long-lasting (0.2-10 sec) undershoots. The action potentials were inhibited by extracellular Co. 4. Clear differences were consistently observed between terminal action potentials and axonal or somatic action potentials in TEA. Terminal action potentials displayed a lower voltage threshold, faster rate of rise, and were less sensitive to inhibition by extracellular cobalt, suggesting that the Ca current is greater in the terminal region. 5. Bathing the receptor axon in low Ca or Co solutions led to a greater attenuation of large depolarizing components of the visual signal as they spread to the presynaptic terminals.

Species-specific effects on the optical signals of voltage-sensitive dyes

The absorption changes of two merocyanine dyes in response to membrane potential changes were measured on several neuronal preparations to see whether the dyes would be useful in recording from these cells. We were able to record large signals without averaging from barnacle and leech neurons. The greatest signal with WW375 was seen at 750 nm. Much smaller increases in transmitted light intensity were seen at all other wavelengths between 500 and 780 nm. In contrast, vertebrate neuronal preparations produced much smaller signals with an entirely different action spectrum. Essentially the same spectrum was seen in cells of the sympathetic ganglion of the bullfrog, Rana catesbiana, dissociated chick spinal cord neurons, or dissociated rat superior cervical ganglion neurons. In each case an action potential was accompanied by increases in transmitted light intensity between 500 and 600 nm and 730 and 780 nm, and decreases in intensity between 600 and 730 nm with the dye WW375, the best dye tested. Similar results were obtained with dye NK2367 on both vertebrate and invertebrate preparations, except that the spectral properties were shifted 30 nm towards the blue. Both dyes caused some photodynamic damage to the cultured neurons after a few minute's exposure to the illuminating light. Several analogues of these dyes were also tried, but did not produce larger signals.

Neuronal properties underlying processing of visual information in the barnacle

Generation of a transient, amplified response to the dimming of light in the visual system of the barnacle involves two synaptic stages. It is accomplished primarily by decrementally conducting neurones that are similar to bipolar cells of the vertebrate retina.

Voltage sensitive calcium channels in the presynaptic terminals of a decrementally conducting photoreceptor

1. Intracellular recordings were made from the presynaptic regions of the photoreceptors of the median ocellus of the giant barnacle, Balanus nubilus.2. Millivolt changes in membrane potential near the dark resting level in the terminals elicit post-synaptic activity and consequently must be sufficient to modulate transmitter release from these endings.3. In normal saline the terminal voltage usually changes in a graded manner to increasing intensities of illumination of the cell. When the terminal region is superfused with saline containing TEA, 3-AP or high concentrations of K, an all-or-none action potential can be elicited consistently by light or injected current.4. The peak value of this action potential depends on the Ca concentration in the saline. The action potential can be generated if Sr or Ba ions replace Ca, but is reduced or blocked if Mg, Co, or Mn ions are added to the saline. It is virtually unaffected by TTX or replacement of Na with TMA ions in the saline. These results suggest that Ca carries most or all of the inward current during the action potential.5. The action potential is followed by a large undershoot which can last several seconds. The amplitude and duration of the action potential and the duration of the undershoot all grow in increasing concentrations of TEA up to 400 mM, the highest concentration tested. The threshold for the action potential decreases as the concentration of TEA is increased to 10 mM; increasing the concentration further has no effect on the threshold. These observations suggest that TEA blocks a voltage-sensitive potassium conductance at low concentrations but has less effect on the current responsible for the undershoot.6. Electrophysiological and pharmacological evidence suggests that the Ca channels are concentrated in the presynaptic terminals of this photoreceptor.

Passive signal propagation and membrane properties in median photoreceptors of the giant barnacle

1. The light-induced electrical responses of barnacle photoreceptors spread decrementally along the cells' axons. The decay of the depolarizing and hyperpolarizing components of the visual signal was studied by recording intracellularly from single receptor axons of the median ocellus of the giant barnacle.2. The resistance of the photoreceptor neurone decreases markedly when the cell is depolarized with respect to its dark resting potential of -60 mV. This rectification results in differential attenuation of the depolarizing and hyperpolarizing components of the visual signal as they spread down the axon. Consequently, the visual signal entering the synaptic region is conspicuously distorted.3. Bathing the photoreceptor axons in sodium-free or calcium-free saline or in isotonic sucrose does not significantly affect the spread of the visual signal to the terminals. Thus the signal is not amplified by an ionic mechanism along the axon.4. Membrane characteristics of the photoreceptor for hyperpolarizing voltage changes were estimated from (a) the ratio of the amplitudes of the visual signals recorded simultaneously in the axon and in the soma, (b) the time constant, and (c) the input resistance of the cell. All three independent measurements are consistent with a length constant 1 to 2 times the total length of the cell (lambda = 10-18 mm) and an unusually high membrane resistivity of about 300 kOmega cm(2). This resistivity enables the receptor potential to spread passively to the terminal region.5. Electron microscopic examination of receptor axons reveals an investment of glial lamellae, but demonstrates neither unusual structures which would lead to a high apparent membrane resistivity, nor junctions between cells which would seal off the extracellular space. Thus the observed high resistivity appears to be an intrinsic property of the receptor membrane.