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Nascimento AA, Pereira-Figueiredo D, Borges-Martins VP, Kubrusly RC, Calaza KC. GABAergic system and chloride cotransporters as potential therapeutic targets to mitigate cell death in ischemia. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25355. [PMID: 38808645 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a critical inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that plays a vital role in modulating neuronal excitability. Dysregulation of GABAergic signaling, particularly involving the cotransporters NKCC1 and KCC2, has been implicated in various pathologies, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and ischemia. NKCC1 facilitates chloride influx, whereas KCC2 mediates chloride efflux via potassium gradient. Altered expression and function of these cotransporters have been associated with excitotoxicity, inflammation, and cellular death in ischemic events characterized by reduced cerebral blood flow, leading to compromised tissue metabolism and subsequent cell death. NKCC1 inhibition has emerged as a potential therapeutic approach to attenuate intracellular chloride accumulation and mitigate neuronal damage during ischemic events. Similarly, targeting KCC2, which regulates chloride efflux, holds promise for improving outcomes and reducing neuronal damage under ischemic conditions. This review emphasizes the critical roles of GABA, NKCC1, and KCC2 in ischemic pathologies and their potential as therapeutic targets. Inhibiting or modulating the activity of these cotransporters represents a promising strategy for reducing neuronal damage, preventing excitotoxicity, and improving neurological outcomes following ischemic events. Furthermore, exploring the interactions between natural compounds and NKCC1/KCC2 provides additional avenues for potential therapeutic interventions for ischemic injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- A A Nascimento
- Neurobiology of the Retina Laboratory, Department of Neurobiology and Graduate Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - D Pereira-Figueiredo
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology), Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - V P Borges-Martins
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - R C Kubrusly
- Laboratory of Neuropharmacology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
| | - K C Calaza
- Neurobiology of the Retina Laboratory, Department of Neurobiology and Graduate Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (Physiology and Pharmacology), Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Brazil
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2
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Tempone MH, Borges-Martins VP, César F, Alexandrino-Mattos DP, de Figueiredo CS, Raony Í, dos Santos AA, Duarte-Silva AT, Dias MS, Freitas HR, de Araújo EG, Ribeiro-Resende VT, Cossenza M, P. Silva H, P. de Carvalho R, Ventura ALM, Calaza KC, Silveira MS, Kubrusly RCC, de Melo Reis RA. The Healthy and Diseased Retina Seen through Neuron-Glia Interactions. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1120. [PMID: 38256192 PMCID: PMC10817105 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25021120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The retina is the sensory tissue responsible for the first stages of visual processing, with a conserved anatomy and functional architecture among vertebrates. To date, retinal eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma, and others, affect nearly 170 million people worldwide, resulting in vision loss and blindness. To tackle retinal disorders, the developing retina has been explored as a versatile model to study intercellular signaling, as it presents a broad neurochemical repertoire that has been approached in the last decades in terms of signaling and diseases. Retina, dissociated and arranged as typical cultures, as mixed or neuron- and glia-enriched, and/or organized as neurospheres and/or as organoids, are valuable to understand both neuronal and glial compartments, which have contributed to revealing roles and mechanisms between transmitter systems as well as antioxidants, trophic factors, and extracellular matrix proteins. Overall, contributions in understanding neurogenesis, tissue development, differentiation, connectivity, plasticity, and cell death are widely described. A complete access to the genome of several vertebrates, as well as the recent transcriptome at the single cell level at different stages of development, also anticipates future advances in providing cues to target blinding diseases or retinal dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matheus H. Tempone
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.H.T.); (F.C.); (D.P.A.-M.); (V.T.R.-R.)
| | - Vladimir P. Borges-Martins
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute and Program of Neurosciences, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-150, Brazil; (V.P.B.-M.); (A.A.d.S.); (M.C.); (R.C.C.K.)
| | - Felipe César
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.H.T.); (F.C.); (D.P.A.-M.); (V.T.R.-R.)
| | - Dio Pablo Alexandrino-Mattos
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.H.T.); (F.C.); (D.P.A.-M.); (V.T.R.-R.)
| | - Camila S. de Figueiredo
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
| | - Ícaro Raony
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil; (Í.R.); (H.R.F.)
| | - Aline Araujo dos Santos
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute and Program of Neurosciences, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-150, Brazil; (V.P.B.-M.); (A.A.d.S.); (M.C.); (R.C.C.K.)
| | - Aline Teixeira Duarte-Silva
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
| | - Mariana Santana Dias
- Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Viral Vectors, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.S.D.); (H.P.S.)
| | - Hércules Rezende Freitas
- Institute of Medical Biochemistry Leopoldo de Meis, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil; (Í.R.); (H.R.F.)
| | - Elisabeth G. de Araújo
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
- National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation—INCT-NIM, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Victor Tulio Ribeiro-Resende
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.H.T.); (F.C.); (D.P.A.-M.); (V.T.R.-R.)
| | - Marcelo Cossenza
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute and Program of Neurosciences, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-150, Brazil; (V.P.B.-M.); (A.A.d.S.); (M.C.); (R.C.C.K.)
| | - Hilda P. Silva
- Laboratory of Gene Therapy and Viral Vectors, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.S.D.); (H.P.S.)
| | - Roberto P. de Carvalho
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
| | - Ana L. M. Ventura
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
| | - Karin C. Calaza
- Department of Neurobiology and Program of Neurosciences, Institute of Biology, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-141, Brazil; (C.S.d.F.); (A.T.D.-S.); (E.G.d.A.); (R.P.d.C.); (A.L.M.V.); (K.C.C.)
| | - Mariana S. Silveira
- Laboratory for Investigation in Neuroregeneration and Development, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil;
| | - Regina C. C. Kubrusly
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedical Institute and Program of Neurosciences, Federal Fluminense University, Niterói 24020-150, Brazil; (V.P.B.-M.); (A.A.d.S.); (M.C.); (R.C.C.K.)
| | - Ricardo A. de Melo Reis
- Laboratory of Neurochemistry, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21949-000, Brazil; (M.H.T.); (F.C.); (D.P.A.-M.); (V.T.R.-R.)
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3
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Hirano AA, Vuong HE, Kornmann HL, Schietroma C, Stella SL, Barnes S, Brecha NC. Vesicular Release of GABA by Mammalian Horizontal Cells Mediates Inhibitory Output to Photoreceptors. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:600777. [PMID: 33335476 PMCID: PMC7735995 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.600777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Feedback inhibition by horizontal cells regulates rod and cone photoreceptor calcium channels that control their release of the neurotransmitter glutamate. This inhibition contributes to synaptic gain control and the formation of the center-surround antagonistic receptive fields passed on to all downstream neurons, which is important for contrast sensitivity and color opponency in vision. In contrast to the plasmalemmal GABA transporter found in non-mammalian horizontal cells, there is evidence that the mechanism by which mammalian horizontal cells inhibit photoreceptors involves the vesicular release of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Historically, inconsistent findings of GABA and its biosynthetic enzyme, L-glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) in horizontal cells, and the apparent lack of surround response block by GABAergic agents diminished support for GABA's role in feedback inhibition. However, the immunolocalization of the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) in the dendritic and axonal endings of horizontal cells that innervate photoreceptor terminals suggested GABA was released via vesicular exocytosis. To test the idea that GABA is released from vesicles, we localized GABA and GAD, multiple SNARE complex proteins, synaptic vesicle proteins, and Cav channels that mediate exocytosis to horizontal cell dendritic tips and axonal terminals. To address the perceived relative paucity of synaptic vesicles in horizontal cell endings, we used conical electron tomography on mouse and guinea pig retinas that revealed small, clear-core vesicles, along with a few clathrin-coated vesicles and endosomes in horizontal cell processes within photoreceptor terminals. Some small-diameter vesicles were adjacent to the plasma membrane and plasma membrane specializations. To assess vesicular release, a functional assay involving incubation of retinal slices in luminal VGAT-C antibodies demonstrated vesicles fused with the membrane in a depolarization- and calcium-dependent manner, and these labeled vesicles can fuse multiple times. Finally, targeted elimination of VGAT in horizontal cells resulted in a loss of tonic, autaptic GABA currents, and of inhibitory feedback modulation of the cone photoreceptor Cai, consistent with the elimination of GABA release from horizontal cell endings. These results in mammalian retina identify the central role of vesicular release of GABA from horizontal cells in the feedback inhibition of photoreceptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlene A. Hirano
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Helen E. Vuong
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Helen L. Kornmann
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Cataldo Schietroma
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Salvatore L. Stella
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Steven Barnes
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Doheny Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas C. Brecha
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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4
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Barnes S, Grove JCR, McHugh CF, Hirano AA, Brecha NC. Horizontal Cell Feedback to Cone Photoreceptors in Mammalian Retina: Novel Insights From the GABA-pH Hybrid Model. Front Cell Neurosci 2020; 14:595064. [PMID: 33328894 PMCID: PMC7672006 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2020.595064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
How neurons in the eye feed signals back to photoreceptors to optimize sensitivity to patterns of light appears to be mediated by one or more unconventional mechanisms. Via these mechanisms, horizontal cells control photoreceptor synaptic gain and enhance key aspects of temporal and spatial center-surround receptive field antagonism. After the transduction of light energy into an electrical signal in photoreceptors, the next key task in visual processing is the transmission of an optimized signal to the follower neurons in the retina. For this to happen, the release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate from photoreceptors is carefully regulated via horizontal cell feedback, which acts as a thermostat to keep the synaptic transmission in an optimal range during changes to light patterns and intensities. Novel findings of a recently described model that casts a classical neurotransmitter system together with ion transport mechanisms to adjust the alkaline milieu outside the synapse are reviewed. This novel inter-neuronal messaging system carries feedback signals using two separate, but interwoven regulated systems. The complex interplay between these two signaling modalities, creating synaptic modulation-at-a-distance, has obscured it’s being defined. The foundations of our understanding of the feedback mechanism from horizontal cells to photoreceptors have been long established: Horizontal cells have broad receptive fields, suitable for providing surround inhibition, their membrane potential, a function of stimulus intensity and size, regulates inhibition of photoreceptor voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, and strong artificial pH buffering eliminates this action. This review compares and contrasts models of how these foundations are linked, focusing on a recent report in mammals that shows tonic horizontal cell release of GABA activating Cl− and HCO3− permeable GABA autoreceptors. The membrane potential of horizontal cells provides the driving force for GABAR-mediated HCO3− efflux, alkalinizing the cleft when horizontal cells are hyperpolarized by light or adding to their depolarization in darkness and contributing to cleft acidification via NHE-mediated H+ efflux. This model challenges interpretations of earlier studies that were considered to rule out a role for GABA in feedback to cones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Barnes
- Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - James C R Grove
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | | | - Arlene A Hirano
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Nicholas C Brecha
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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5
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Contini D, Holstein GR, Art JJ. Synaptic cleft microenvironment influences potassium permeation and synaptic transmission in hair cells surrounded by calyx afferents in the turtle. J Physiol 2019; 598:853-889. [PMID: 31623011 DOI: 10.1113/jp278680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS In central regions of vestibular semicircular canal epithelia, the [K+ ] in the synaptic cleft ([K+ ]c ) contributes to setting the hair cell and afferent membrane potentials; the potassium efflux from type I hair cells results from the interdependent gating of three conductances. Elevation of [K+ ]c occurs through a calcium-activated potassium conductance, GBK , and a low-voltage-activating delayed rectifier, GK(LV) , that activates upon elevation of [K+ ]c . Calcium influx that enables quantal transmission also activates IBK , an effect that can be blocked internally by BAPTA, and externally by a CaV 1.3 antagonist or iberiotoxin. Elevation of [K+ ]c or chelation of [Ca2+ ]c linearizes the GK(LV) steady-state I-V curve, suggesting that the outward rectification observed for GK(LV) may result largely from a potassium-sensitive relief of Ca2+ inactivation of the channel pore selectivity filter. Potassium sensitivity of hair cell and afferent conductances allows three modes of transmission: quantal, ion accumulation and resistive coupling to be multiplexed across the synapse. ABSTRACT In the vertebrate nervous system, ions accumulate in diffusion-limited synaptic clefts during ongoing activity. Such accumulation can be demonstrated at large appositions such as the hair cell-calyx afferent synapses present in central regions of the turtle vestibular semicircular canal epithelia. Type I hair cells influence discharge rates in their calyx afferents by modulating the potassium concentration in the synaptic cleft, [K+ ]c , which regulates potassium-sensitive conductances in both hair cell and afferent. Dual recordings from synaptic pairs have demonstrated that, despite a decreased driving force due to potassium accumulation, hair cell depolarization elicits sustained outward currents in the hair cell, and a maintained inward current in the afferent. We used kinetic and pharmacological dissection of the hair cell conductances to understand the interdependence of channel gating and permeation in the context of such restricted extracellular spaces. Hair cell depolarization leads to calcium influx and activation of a large calcium-activated potassium conductance, GBK , that can be blocked by agents that disrupt calcium influx or buffer the elevation of [Ca2+ ]i , as well as by the specific KCa 1.1 blocker iberiotoxin. Efflux of K+ through GBK can rapidly elevate [K+ ]c , which speeds the activation and slows the inactivation and deactivation of a second potassium conductance, GK(LV) . Elevation of [K+ ]c or chelation of [Ca2+ ]c linearizes the GK(LV) steady-state I-V curve, consistent with a K+ -dependent relief of Ca2+ inactivation of GK(LV) . As a result, this potassium-sensitive hair cell conductance pairs with the potassium-sensitive hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (HCN) conductance in the afferent and creates resistive coupling at the synaptic cleft.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatella Contini
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 808 S. Wood St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Gay R Holstein
- Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 1468 Madison Ave, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jonathan J Art
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Illinois College of Medicine, 808 S. Wood St, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
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Grove JCR, Hirano AA, de los Santos J, McHugh CF, Purohit S, Field GD, Brecha NC, Barnes S. Novel hybrid action of GABA mediates inhibitory feedback in the mammalian retina. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000200. [PMID: 30933967 PMCID: PMC6459543 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2018] [Revised: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The stream of visual information sent from photoreceptors to second-order bipolar cells is intercepted by laterally interacting horizontal cells that generate feedback to optimize and improve the efficiency of signal transmission. The mechanisms underlying the regulation of graded photoreceptor synaptic output in this nonspiking network have remained elusive. Here, we analyze with patch clamp recording the novel mechanisms by which horizontal cells control pH in the synaptic cleft to modulate photoreceptor neurotransmitter release. First, we show that mammalian horizontal cells respond to their own GABA release and that the results of this autaptic action affect cone voltage-gated Ca2+ channel (CaV channel) gating through changes in pH. As a proof-of-principle, we demonstrate that chemogenetic manipulation of horizontal cells with exogenous anion channel expression mimics GABA-mediated cone CaV channel inhibition. Activation of these GABA receptor anion channels can depolarize horizontal cells and increase cleft acidity via Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) proton extrusion, which results in inhibition of cone CaV channels. This action is effectively counteracted when horizontal cells are sufficiently hyperpolarized by increased GABA receptor (GABAR)-mediated HCO3- efflux, alkalinizing the cleft and disinhibiting cone CaV channels. This demonstrates how hybrid actions of GABA operate in parallel to effect voltage-dependent pH changes, a novel mechanism for regulating synaptic output.
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Affiliation(s)
- James C. R. Grove
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Arlene A. Hirano
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Janira de los Santos
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Cyrus F. McHugh
- Doheny Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Shashvat Purohit
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Greg D. Field
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Nicholas C. Brecha
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Veterans Administration Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Steven Barnes
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Doheny Eye Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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7
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Country MW, Jonz MG. Calcium dynamics and regulation in horizontal cells of the vertebrate retina: lessons from teleosts. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:523-536. [PMID: 27832601 PMCID: PMC5288477 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00585.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal cells (HCs) are inhibitory interneurons of the vertebrate retina. Unlike typical neurons, HCs are chronically depolarized in the dark, leading to a constant influx of Ca2+ Therefore, mechanisms of Ca2+ homeostasis in HCs must differ from neurons elsewhere in the central nervous system, which undergo excitotoxicity when they are chronically depolarized or stressed with Ca2+ HCs are especially well characterized in teleost fish and have been used to unlock mysteries of the vertebrate retina for over one century. More recently, mammalian models of the retina have been increasingly informative for HC physiology. We draw from both teleost and mammalian models in this review, using a comparative approach to examine what is known about Ca2+ pathways in vertebrate HCs. We begin with a survey of Ca2+-permeable ion channels, exchangers, and pumps and summarize Ca2+ influx and efflux pathways, buffering, and intracellular stores. This includes evidence for Ca2+-permeable α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors and N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors and for voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Special attention is given to interactions between ion channels, to differences among species, and in which subtypes of HCs these channels have been found. We then discuss a number of unresolved issues pertaining to Ca2+ dynamics in HCs, including a potential role for Ca2+ in feedback to photoreceptors, the role for Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release, and the properties and functions of Ca2+-based action potentials. This review aims to highlight the unique Ca2+ dynamics in HCs, as these are inextricably tied to retinal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael W Country
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael G Jonz
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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8
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Targeted Deletion of Vesicular GABA Transporter from Retinal Horizontal Cells Eliminates Feedback Modulation of Photoreceptor Calcium Channels. eNeuro 2016; 3:eN-NWR-0148-15. [PMID: 27022629 PMCID: PMC4785380 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0148-15.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2015] [Revised: 01/20/2016] [Accepted: 01/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular mechanisms underlying feedback signaling from horizontal cells to photoreceptors, which are important for the formation of receptive field surrounds of early visual neurons, remain unsettled. Mammalian horizontal cells express a complement of synaptic proteins that are necessary and sufficient for calcium-dependent exocytosis of inhibitory neurotransmitters at their contacts with photoreceptor terminals, suggesting that they are capable of releasing GABA via vesicular release. To test whether horizontal cell vesicular release is involved in feedback signaling, we perturbed inhibitory neurotransmission in these cells by targeted deletion of the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT), the protein responsible for the uptake of inhibitory transmitter by synaptic vesicles. To manipulate horizontal cells selectively, an iCre mouse line with Cre recombinase expression controlled by connexin57 (Cx57) regulatory elements was generated. In Cx57-iCre mouse retina, only horizontal cells expressed Cre protein, and its expression occurred in all retinal regions. After crossing with a VGATflox/flox mouse line, VGAT was selectively eliminated from horizontal cells, which was confirmed immunohistochemically. Voltage-gated ion channel currents in horizontal cells of Cx57-VGAT−/− mice were the same as Cx57-VGAT+/+ controls, as were the cell responses to the ionotropic glutamate receptor agonist kainate, but the response to the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol in Cx57-VGAT−/− mice was larger. In contrast, the feedback inhibition of photoreceptor calcium channels, which in control animals is induced by horizontal cell depolarization, was completely absent in Cx57-VGAT−/− mice. The results suggest that vesicular release of GABA from horizontal cells is required for feedback inhibition of photoreceptors.
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Abstract
Lateral inhibition at the first synapse in the retina is important for visual perception, enhancing image contrast, color discrimination, and light adaptation. Despite decades of research, the feedback signal from horizontal cells to photoreceptors that generates lateral inhibition remains uncertain. GABA, protons, or an ephaptic mechanism have all been suggested as the primary mediator of feedback. However, the complexity of the reciprocal cone to horizontal cell synapse has left the identity of the feedback signal an unsolved mystery.
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10
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Popova E. Ionotropic GABA Receptors and Distal Retinal ON and OFF Responses. SCIENTIFICA 2014; 2014:149187. [PMID: 25143858 PMCID: PMC4131092 DOI: 10.1155/2014/149187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
In the vertebrate retina, visual signals are segregated into parallel ON and OFF pathways, which provide information for light increments and decrements. The segregation is first evident at the level of the ON and OFF bipolar cells in distal retina. The activity of large populations of ON and OFF bipolar cells is reflected in the b- and d-waves of the diffuse electroretinogram (ERG). The role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), acting through ionotropic GABA receptors in shaping the ON and OFF responses in distal retina, is a matter of debate. This review summarized current knowledge about the types of the GABAergic neurons and ionotropic GABA receptors in the retina as well as the effects of GABA and specific GABAA and GABAC receptor antagonists on the activity of the ON and OFF bipolar cells in both nonmammalian and mammalian retina. Special emphasis is put on the effects on b- and d-waves of the ERG as a useful tool for assessment of the overall function of distal retinal ON and OFF channels. The role of GABAergic system in establishing the ON-OFF asymmetry concerning the time course and absolute and relative sensitivity of the ERG responses under different conditions of light adaptation in amphibian retina is also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Popova
- Department of Physiology, Medical Faculty, Medical University, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria
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11
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Global Ca2+ signaling drives ribbon-independent synaptic transmission at rod bipolar cell synapses. J Neurosci 2014; 34:6233-44. [PMID: 24790194 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5324-13.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribbon-type presynaptic active zones are a hallmark of excitatory retinal synapses, and the ribbon organelle is thought to serve as the organizing point of the presynaptic active zone. Imaging of exocytosis from isolated retinal neurons, however, has revealed ectopic release (i.e., release away from ribbons) in significant quantities. Here, we demonstrate in an in vitro mouse retinal slice preparation that ribbon-independent release from rod bipolar cells activates postsynaptic AMPARs on AII amacrine cells. This form of release appears to draw on a unique, ribbon-independent, vesicle pool. Experimental, anatomical, and computational analyses indicate that it is elicited by a significant, global elevation of intraterminal [Ca(2+)] arising following local buffer saturation. Our observations support the conclusion that ribbon-independent release provides a read-out of the average behavior of all of the active zones in a rod bipolar cell's terminal.
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12
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Stutz B, da Conceição FSL, Santos LE, Cadilhe DV, Fleming RL, Acquarone M, Gardino PF, de Melo Reis RA, Dickson PW, Dunkley PR, Rehen S, Houzel JC, de Mello FG. Murine dopaminergic Müller cells restore motor function in a model of Parkinson's disease. J Neurochem 2013; 128:829-40. [DOI: 10.1111/jnc.12475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2013] [Revised: 09/27/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bernardo Stutz
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | | | - Luís Eduardo Santos
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Daniel Veloso Cadilhe
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Renata L. Fleming
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Mariana Acquarone
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Patrícia F. Gardino
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Ricardo A. de Melo Reis
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Phillip W. Dickson
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy; University of Newcastle; Callaghan NSW Australia
| | - Peter R. Dunkley
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy; University of Newcastle; Callaghan NSW Australia
| | - Stevens Rehen
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Jean-Christophe Houzel
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
| | - Fernando G. de Mello
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho; Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro; Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil
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13
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Thoreson WB, Mangel SC. Lateral interactions in the outer retina. Prog Retin Eye Res 2012; 31:407-41. [PMID: 22580106 PMCID: PMC3401171 DOI: 10.1016/j.preteyeres.2012.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Revised: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/09/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Lateral interactions in the outer retina, particularly negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones and direct feed-forward input from horizontal cells to bipolar cells, play a number of important roles in early visual processing, such as generating center-surround receptive fields that enhance spatial discrimination. These circuits may also contribute to post-receptoral light adaptation and the generation of color opponency. In this review, we examine the contributions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways to early visual processing. We begin by reviewing the properties of bipolar cell receptive fields, especially with respect to modulation of the bipolar receptive field surround by the ambient light level and to the contribution of horizontal cells to the surround. We then review evidence for and against three proposed mechanisms for negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones: 1) GABA release by horizontal cells, 2) ephaptic modulation of the cone pedicle membrane potential generated by currents flowing through hemigap junctions in horizontal cell dendrites, and 3) modulation of cone calcium currents (I(Ca)) by changes in synaptic cleft proton levels. We also consider evidence for the presence of direct horizontal cell feed-forward input to bipolar cells and discuss a possible role for GABA at this synapse. We summarize proposed functions of horizontal cell feedback and feed-forward pathways. Finally, we examine the mechanisms and functions of two other forms of lateral interaction in the outer retina: negative feedback from horizontal cells to rods and positive feedback from horizontal cells to cones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wallace B. Thoreson
- Departments of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences and Pharmacology & Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198 USA
| | - Stuart C. Mangel
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH 43210 USA
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14
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Hirasawa H, Yamada M, Kaneko A. Acidification of the synaptic cleft of cone photoreceptor terminal controls the amount of transmitter release, thereby forming the receptive field surround in the vertebrate retina. J Physiol Sci 2012; 62:359-75. [PMID: 22773408 PMCID: PMC10717482 DOI: 10.1007/s12576-012-0220-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 06/18/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In the vertebrate retina, feedback from horizontal cells (HCs) to cone photoreceptors plays a key role in the formation of the center-surround receptive field of retinal cells, which induces contrast enhancement of visual images. The mechanism underlying surround inhibition is not fully understood. In this review, we discuss this issue, focusing on our recent hypothesis that acidification of the synaptic cleft of the cone photoreceptor terminal causes this inhibition by modulating the Ca channel of the terminals. We present evidence that the acidification is caused by proton excretion from HCs by a vacuolar type H(+) pump. Recent publications supporting or opposing our hypothesis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hajime Hirasawa
- Laboratory for Neuroinformatics, Riken Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198 Japan
| | - Masahiro Yamada
- Laboratory for Neuroinformatics, Riken Brain Science Institute, Wako, Saitama, 351-0198 Japan
| | - Akimichi Kaneko
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kio University, 4-2-2 Umami-naka, Koryo-cho, Kitakatsuragi-gun, Nara, 635-0832 Japan
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15
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Landgraf I, Mühlhans J, Dedek K, Reim K, Brandstätter JH, Ammermüller J. The absence of Complexin 3 and Complexin 4 differentially impacts the ON and OFF pathways in mouse retina. Eur J Neurosci 2012; 36:2470-81. [PMID: 22694764 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2012.08149.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Complexins (Cplxs) regulate the speed and Ca(2+)-sensitivity of synaptic vesicle fusion. It has been shown that all four known Cplxs are present at mouse retinal synapses--at conventional amacrine cell synapses (Cplx 1 to Cplx 3) and at photoreceptor and bipolar cell ribbon synapses (Cplx 3 and Cplx 4) [K. Reim et al. (2005) J. Cell Biol., 169, 669-680]. Electroretinographic recordings in Cplx 3/Cplx 4 double-knockout (DKO) mice showed perturbed transmission in the outer plexiform layer, and possible changes in the inner plexiform layer [K. Reim et al. (2009) J. Cell Sci., 122, 1352-1361]. In the present study, we examined the effects of the absence of Cplx 3 and Cplx 4 on ganglion cell responses. We report that the lack of Cplx 3 and Cplx 4 differentially impacts the ON and OFF pathways. Under photopic conditions, the responses in the cone OFF pathway are largely unaffected, whereas the responses in the cone ON pathway are diminished in Cplx 3/Cplx 4 DKO mice. Under scotopic conditions, both ON and OFF response rates are reduced and high-sensitivity OFF responses are missing in Cplx 3/Cplx 4 DKO mice. The electrophysiological findings are corroborated by new immunocytochemical findings. We now show that rod spherules contain only Cplx 4. However, both Cplx 3 and Cplx 4 co-localize in cone pedicles. In the inner plexiform layer, Cplx 3 is present in rod bipolar cell terminals and in amacrine cell processes. Most importantly, Cplx 3 is localized in the lobular appendages of AII amacrine cells, the sites of signal transmission from the primary rod pathway into the OFF pathway in the inner plexiform layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Immanuel Landgraf
- Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Neurobiology, University of Oldenburg, 26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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16
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Sun Z, Risner ML, van Asselt JB, Zhang DQ, Kamermans M, McMahon DG. Physiological and molecular characterization of connexin hemichannels in zebrafish retinal horizontal cells. J Neurophysiol 2012; 107:2624-32. [PMID: 22357795 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01126.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Connexin channels mediate electrical synaptic transmission when assembled as cell-to-cell pores at gap junctions and can mediate transmembrane currents when expressed in plasma membranes as hemichannels. They are widely expressed in the vertebrate retina where in electrical synapses they are critical for transmission of visual signals. While the roles of connexins in electrical synapses are well-studied, the function and roles of connexin hemichannels in the nervous system are less well understood. Genetic deletion in zebrafish of connexin (Cx) 55.5 alters horizontal cell feedback to cones, spectral responses, and visual behavior. Here, we have characterized the properties of hemichannel currents in zebrafish retinal horizontal cells and examined the roles of two connexin isoforms, Cx55.5 and Cx52.6, that are coexpressed in these cells. We report that zebrafish horizontal cells express hemichannel currents that conduct inward current at physiological negative potentials and Ca(2+) levels. Manipulation of Cx55.5 and Cx52.6 gene expression in horizontal cells of adult zebrafish revealed that both Cx55.5 and Cx52.6 contribute to hemichannel currents; however, Cx55.5 expression is necessary for high-amplitude currents. Similarly, coexpression of Cx55.5 with Cx52.6 in oocytes increased hemichannel currents in a supra-additive manner. Taken together these results demonstrate that zebrafish horizontal cell hemichannel currents exhibit the functional characteristics necessary to contribute to synaptic feedback at the first visual synapse, that both Cx55.5 and Cx52.6 contribute to hemichannel currents, and that Cx55.5 may have an additional regulatory function enhancing the amplitude of hemichannel currents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Sun
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN 37235-1634, USA
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17
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Stutz B, Yamasaki EN, de Mello MCF, de Mello FG. Exchange of extracellular l-glutamate by intracellular d-aspartate: The main mechanism of d-aspartate release in the avian retina. Neurochem Int 2011; 58:767-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2011.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2010] [Revised: 01/18/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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18
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Jackman SL, Babai N, Chambers JJ, Thoreson WB, Kramer RH. A positive feedback synapse from retinal horizontal cells to cone photoreceptors. PLoS Biol 2011; 9:e1001057. [PMID: 21559323 PMCID: PMC3086870 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2010] [Accepted: 03/25/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Cone photoreceptors and horizontal cells (HCs) have a reciprocal synapse that
underlies lateral inhibition and establishes the antagonistic center-surround
organization of the visual system. Cones transmit to HCs through an excitatory
synapse and HCs feed back to cones through an inhibitory synapse. Here we report
that HCs also transmit to cone terminals a positive feedback signal that
elevates intracellular Ca2+ and accelerates neurotransmitter
release. Positive and negative feedback are both initiated by AMPA receptors on
HCs, but positive feedback appears to be mediated by a change in HC
Ca2+, whereas negative feedback is mediated by a change in
HC membrane potential. Local uncaging of AMPA receptor agonists suggests that
positive feedback is spatially constrained to active HC-cone synapses, whereas
the negative feedback signal spreads through HCs to affect release from
surrounding cones. By locally offsetting the effects of negative feedback,
positive feedback may amplify photoreceptor synaptic release without sacrificing
HC-mediated contrast enhancement. Visual images are projected by the lens of the eye onto a sheet of photoreceptor
cells in the retina called rods and cones. Like the pixels in a digital camera,
each photoreceptor generates an electrical response proportional to the local
light intensity. Each photoreceptor then initiates a chemical signal that is
transmitted to downstream neurons, ultimately reaching the brain. But unlike the
pixels of a digital camera, photoreceptors indirectly inhibit one another
through laterally projecting horizontal cells. Horizontal cells integrate
signals from many photoreceptors and provide inhibitory feedback. This feedback
is thought to underlie “lateral inhibition,” a process that sharpens
our perception of contrast and color. Here we report the surprising finding that
horizontal cells also provide positive feedback to photoreceptors, utilizing a
mechanism distinct from negative feedback. The positive feedback signal is
constrained to individual horizontal cell–photoreceptor connections,
whereas the negative feedback signal spreads throughout a horizontal cell to
affect many surrounding photoreceptors. By locally offsetting negative feedback,
positive feedback boosts the photoreceptor signal while preserving contrast
enhancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Skyler L. Jackman
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley,
California, United States of America
| | - Norbert Babai
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Nebraska Medical Center,
Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - James J. Chambers
- Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst,
Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Wallace B. Thoreson
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Nebraska Medical Center,
Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America
| | - Richard H. Kramer
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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19
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Abstract
Synaptic vesicles are acidified by a proton pump (vATPase), which allows vesicular uptake of neurotransmitters. After vesicle exocytosis, continued operation of the vATPase would seem to serve no useful function. In this issue of Neuron, however, Zhang and colleagues show that continued pumping alkalinizes the cytoplasm, accelerating endocytosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Tabares
- Department of Medical Physiology and Biophysics, University of Seville, 41009 Seville, Spain
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20
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Guo C, Hirano AA, Stella SL, Bitzer M, Brecha NC. Guinea pig horizontal cells express GABA, the GABA-synthesizing enzyme GAD 65, and the GABA vesicular transporter. J Comp Neurol 2010; 518:1647-69. [PMID: 20235161 DOI: 10.1002/cne.22294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is likely expressed in horizontal cells of all species, although conflicting physiological findings have led to considerable controversy regarding its role as a transmitter in the outer retina. This study has evaluated key components of the GABA system in the outer retina of guinea pig, an emerging retinal model system. The presence of GABA, its rate-limiting synthetic enzyme glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(65) and GAD(67) isoforms), the plasma membrane GABA transporters (GAT-1 and GAT-3), and the vesicular GABA transporter (VGAT) was evaluated by using immunohistochemistry with well-characterized antibodies. The presence of GAD(65) mRNA was also evaluated by using laser capture microdissection and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Specific GABA, GAD(65), and VGAT immunostaining was localized to horizontal cell bodies, as well as to their processes and tips in the outer plexiform layer. Furthermore, immunostaining of retinal whole mounts and acutely dissociated retinas showed GAD(65) and VGAT immunoreactivity in both A-type and B-type horizontal cells. However, these cells did not contain GAD(67), GAT-1, or GAT-3 immunoreactivity. GAD(65) mRNA was detected in horizontal cells, and sequencing of the amplified GAD(65) fragment showed approximately 85% identity with other mammalian GAD(65) mRNAs. These studies demonstrate the presence of GABA, GAD(65), and VGAT in horizontal cells of the guinea pig retina, and support the idea that GABA is synthesized from GAD(65), taken up into synaptic vesicles by VGAT, and likely released by a vesicular mechanism from horizontal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenying Guo
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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21
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Abstract
The function of the retina is crucial, for it must encode visual signals so the brain can detect objects in the visual world. However, the biological mechanisms of the retina add noise to the visual signal and therefore reduce its quality and capacity to inform about the world. Because an organism's survival depends on its ability to unambiguously detect visual stimuli in the presence of noise, its retinal circuits must have evolved to maximize signal quality, suggesting that each retinal circuit has a specific functional role. Here we explain how an ideal observer can measure signal quality to determine the functional roles of retinal circuits. In a visual discrimination task the ideal observer can measure from a neural response the increment threshold, the number of distinguishable response levels, and the neural code, which are fundamental measures of signal quality relevant to behavior. It can compare the signal quality in stimulus and response to determine the optimal stimulus, and can measure the specific loss of signal quality by a neuron's receptive field for non-optimal stimuli. Taking into account noise correlations, the ideal observer can track the signal-to-noise ratio available from one stage to the next, allowing one to determine each stage's role in preserving signal quality. A comparison between the ideal performance of the photon flux absorbed from the stimulus and actual performance of a retinal ganglion cell shows that in daylight a ganglion cell and its presynaptic circuit loses a factor of approximately 10-fold in contrast sensitivity, suggesting specific signal-processing roles for synaptic connections and other neural circuit elements. The ideal observer is a powerful tool for characterizing signal processing in single neurons and arrays along a neural pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Smith
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA.
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22
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Guo C, Stella SL, Hirano AA, Brecha NC. Plasmalemmal and vesicular gamma-aminobutyric acid transporter expression in the developing mouse retina. J Comp Neurol 2009; 512:6-26. [PMID: 18975268 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Plasmalemmal and vesicular gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporters influence neurotransmission by regulating high-affinity GABA uptake and GABA release into the synaptic cleft and extracellular space. Postnatal expression of the plasmalemmal GABA transporter-1 (GAT-1), GAT-3, and the vesicular GABA/glycine transporter (VGAT) were evaluated in the developing mouse retina by using immunohistochemistry with affinity-purified antibodies. Weak transporter immunoreactivity was observed in the inner retina at postnatal day 0 (P0). GAT-1 immunostaining at P0 and at older ages was in amacrine and displaced amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer (INL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL), respectively, and in their processes in the inner plexiform layer (IPL). At P10, weak GAT-1 immunostaining was in Müller cell processes. GAT-3 immunostaining at P0 and older ages was in amacrine cells and their processes, as well as in Müller cells and their processes that extended radially across the retina. At P10, Müller cell somata were observed in the middle of the INL. VGAT immunostaining was present at P0 and older ages in amacrine cells in the INL as well as processes in the IPL. At P5, weak VGAT immunostaining was also observed in horizontal cell somata and processes. By P15, the GAT and VGAT immunostaining patterns appear similar to the adult immunostaining patterns; they reached adult levels by about P20. These findings demonstrate that GABA uptake and release are initially established in the inner retina during the first postnatal week and that these systems subsequently mature in the outer retina during the second postnatal week.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenying Guo
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
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23
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Jiang XD, Wang XL, Sun Y, Gong HQ, Liang PJ. NMDA modulation of GABA transporter current in carp retinal horizontal cells. Brain Res 2008; 1240:105-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2008.08.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2007] [Revised: 08/25/2008] [Accepted: 08/29/2008] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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24
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O'Brien BJ, Caldwell JH, Ehring GR, Bumsted O'Brien KM, Luo S, Levinson SR. Tetrodotoxin-resistant voltage-gated sodium channels Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 are expressed in the retina. J Comp Neurol 2008; 508:940-51. [PMID: 18399542 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) are one of the fundamental building blocks of electrically excitable cells in the nervous system. These channels are responsible for the generation of action potentials that are required for the communication of neuronal signals over long distances within a cell. VGSCs are encoded by a family of nine genes whose products have widely varying biophysical properties. In this study, we have detected the expression of two atypical VGSCs (Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9) in the retina. Compared with more common VGSCs, Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 have unusual biophysical and pharmacological properties, including persistent sodium currents and resistance to the canonical sodium channel blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX). Our molecular biological and immunohistochemical data derived from mouse (Mus musculus) retina demonstrate expression of Na(v)1.8 by retinal amacrine and ganglion cells, whereas Na(v)1.9 is expressed by photoreceptors and Müller glia. The fact that these channels exist in the central nervous system (CNS) and exhibit robust TTX resistance requires a re-evaluation of prior physiological, pharmacological, and developmental data in the visual system, in which the diversity of VGSCs has been previously underestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan J O'Brien
- Department of Optometry & Vision Science, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand.
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25
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Effects of pH buffering on horizontal and ganglion cell light responses in primate retina: evidence for the proton hypothesis of surround formation. J Neurosci 2008; 28:456-64. [PMID: 18184788 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2735-07.2008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative feedback from horizontal cells to cone photoreceptors is regarded as the critical pathway for the formation of the antagonistic surround of retinal neurons, yet the mechanism by which horizontal cells accomplish negative feedback has been difficult to determine. Recent evidence suggests that feedback uses a novel, non-GABAergic pathway that directly modulates the calcium current in cones. In non-mammalian vertebrates, enrichment of retinal pH buffering capacity attenuates horizontal cell feedback, supporting one model in which feedback occurs by horizontal cell modulation of the extracellular pH in the cone synaptic cleft. Here we test the effect of exogenous pH buffering on the response dynamics of H1 horizontal cells and the center-surround receptive field structure of parasol ganglion cells in the macaque monkey retina. Enrichment of the extracellular buffering capacity with HEPES selectively attenuates surround antagonism in parasol ganglion cells. The H1 horizontal cell light response includes a slow, depolarizing component that is attributed to negative feedback to cones. This part of the response is attenuated by HEPES and other pH buffers in a dose-dependent manner that is correlated with predicted buffering capacity. The selective effects of pH buffering on the parasol cell surround and H1 cell light response suggests that, in primate retina, horizontal cell feedback to cones is mediated via a pH-dependent mechanism and is a major determinant of the ganglion cell receptive field surround.
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26
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Somatodendritic release of glutamate regulates synaptic inhibition in cerebellar Purkinje cells via autocrine mGluR1 activation. J Neurosci 2007; 27:12464-74. [PMID: 18003824 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0178-07.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
In the cerebellum, the process of retrograde signaling via presynaptic receptors is important for the induction of short- and long-term changes in inhibitory synaptic transmission at interneuron-Purkinje cell (PC) synapses. Endocannabinoids, by activating presynaptic CB1 receptors, mediate a short-term decrease in inhibitory synaptic efficacy, whereas glutamate, acting on presynaptic NMDA receptors, induces a longer-latency sustained increase in GABA release. We now demonstrate that either low-frequency climbing fiber stimulation or direct somatic depolarization of Purkinje cells results in SNARE-dependent vesicular release of glutamate from the soma and dendrites of PCs. The activity-dependent release of glutamate caused the activation of postsynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) on PC somatodendritic membranes, resulting in the cooperative release of endocannabinoids and an mGluR1-mediated slow membrane conductance. The activity of excitatory amino acid transporters regulated the spatial spread of glutamate and thus the extent of PC mGluR1 activation. We propose that activity-dependent somatodendritic glutamate release and autocrine activation of mGluR1 on PCs provides a powerful homeostatic mechanism to dynamically regulate inhibitory synaptic transmission in the cerebellar cortex.
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27
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Hirano AA, Brandstätter JH, Vila A, Brecha NC. Robust syntaxin-4 immunoreactivity in mammalian horizontal cell processes. Vis Neurosci 2007; 24:489-502. [PMID: 17640443 PMCID: PMC2744743 DOI: 10.1017/s0952523807070198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2007] [Accepted: 03/12/2007] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Horizontal cells mediate inhibitory feed-forward and feedback communication in the outer retina; however, mechanisms that underlie transmitter release from mammalian horizontal cells are poorly understood. Toward determining whether the molecular machinery for exocytosis is present in horizontal cells, we investigated the localization of syntaxin-4, a SNARE protein involved in targeting vesicles to the plasma membrane, in mouse, rat, and rabbit retinae using immunocytochemistry. We report robust expression of syntaxin-4 in the outer plexiform layer of all three species. Syntaxin-4 occurred in processes and tips of horizontal cells, with regularly spaced, thicker sandwich-like structures along the processes. Double labeling with syntaxin-4 and calbindin antibodies, a horizontal cell marker, demonstrated syntaxin-4 localization to horizontal cell processes; whereas, double labeling with PKC antibodies, a rod bipolar cell (RBC) marker, showed a lack of co-localization, with syntaxin-4 immunolabeling occurring just distal to RBC dendritic tips. Syntaxin-4 immunolabeling occurred within VGLUT-1-immunoreactive photoreceptor terminals and underneath synaptic ribbons, labeled by CtBP2/RIBEYE antibodies, consistent with localization in invaginating horizontal cell tips at photoreceptor triad synapses. Vertical sections of retina immunostained for syntaxin-4 and peanut agglutinin (PNA) established that the prominent patches of syntaxin-4 immunoreactivity were adjacent to the base of cone pedicles. Horizontal sections through the OPL indicate a one-to-one co-localization of syntaxin-4 densities at likely all cone pedicles, with syntaxin-4 immunoreactivity interdigitating with PNA labeling. Pre-embedding immuno-electron microscopy confirmed the subcellular localization of syntaxin-4 labeling to lateral elements at both rod and cone triad synapses. Finally, co-localization with SNAP-25, a possible binding partner of syntaxin-4, indicated co-expression of these SNARE proteins in the same subcellular compartment of the horizontal cell. Taken together, the strong expression of these two SNARE proteins in the processes and endings of horizontal cells at rod and cone terminals suggests that horizontal cell axons and dendrites are likely sites of exocytotic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlene A Hirano
- Departments of Neurobiology & Medicine, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
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28
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Abstract
Parasympathetic ganglia are considered simple relay systems that have cholinergic input and output, with modulation occurring centrally. Greater complexity is suggested, however, by our showing here that avian ciliary ganglion (CG) neurons also express a different excitatory receptor type--ionotropic glutamate receptors of the kainate subtype (KARs). This is the first report of glutamate receptor expression in the CG and KAR expression in any cholinergic neuron. We show that KARs form functional channels on CG neurons. KARs localize to CG neuron axons and somata as well as axons and terminals of pre-synaptic inputs to the CG. Glutamate transporters are expressed on Schwann cells that surround synapses on neuronal somata, and may provide a local source of glutamate. CG neurons express multiple KAR subunit mRNAs (GluR5, GluR7, and KA1), and their relative levels change dramatically during axon outgrowth and synaptic differentiation. The developmental role for KARs may depend upon their calcium permeability, a property regulated by mRNA editing. We show GluR5 editing increases predominantly at the time CG axons contact peripheral targets. Our data suggest that glutamatergic signaling may function as a local circuit mechanism to modulate excitability and calcium signaling during synapse formation and maturation in the CG in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas P Olsen
- Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA
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Schubert T, Weiler R, Feigenspan A. Intracellular Calcium Is Regulated by Different Pathways in Horizontal Cells of the Mouse Retina. J Neurophysiol 2006; 96:1278-92. [PMID: 16738216 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00191.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Horizontal cells modulate the output of the photoreceptor to bipolar cell synapse, thereby providing the first level of lateral information processing in the vertebrate retina. Because horizontal cells do not generate sodium-based action potentials, calcium is likely to play an important role for graded potential changes as well as for intracellular events involved in the modulatory role of horizontal cells within the retinal network. Therefore we wanted to determine how the activation of glutamate receptors, voltage-gated calcium channels, and release of calcium from internal stores shape the calcium signal in horizontal cells. All horizontal cells responded to depolarizing voltage steps with sustained inward currents, which activated at around –20 mV, reached a peak amplitude of –79.1 pA at 5 mV, and reversed sign at around 66 mV. The current was insensitive to tetrodotoxin, and it was partially blocked by the L-type channel antagonists verapamil and nifedipine. The N-type channel blocker ω-conotoxin GVIA induced an additional reduction of current amplitudes. Calcium influx through ionotropic glutamate receptors was mediated by both AMPA and kainate but not by N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors. Two agonists at group I metabotropic glutamate receptor, trans-1-amino-1,3-cyclopentanedicarboxylic acid and quisqualate, had no effect. However, intracellular calcium was increased by caffeine, indicating release of calcium from internal stores via ryanodine receptors. These data show that intracellular calcium in horizontal cells is regulated by voltage-dependent L- and N-type calcium channels, ionotropic AMPA and kainate receptors, and release of calcium from internal stores after activation of ryanodine receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Schubert
- Institute of Biology, University of Oldenburg, D-26111 Oldenburg, Germany
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30
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Sherry DM, Mitchell R, Standifer KM, du Plessis B. Distribution of plasma membrane-associated syntaxins 1 through 4 indicates distinct trafficking functions in the synaptic layers of the mouse retina. BMC Neurosci 2006; 7:54. [PMID: 16839421 PMCID: PMC1555595 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-7-54] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2006] [Accepted: 07/13/2006] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Syntaxins 1 through 4 are SNAP receptor (SNARE) proteins that mediate vesicular trafficking to the plasma membrane. In retina, syntaxins 1 and 3 are expressed at conventional and ribbon synapses, respectively, suggesting that synaptic trafficking functions differ among syntaxin isoforms. To better understand syntaxins in synaptic signaling and trafficking, we further examined the cell- and synapse-specific expression of syntaxins 1 through 4 in the mouse retina by immunolabeling and confocal microscopy. Results Each isoform was expressed in the retina and showed a unique distribution in the synaptic layers of the retina, with little or no colocalization of isoforms. Syntaxin 1 was present in amacrine cell bodies and processes and conventional presynaptic terminals in the inner plexiform layer (IPL). Syntaxin 2 was present in amacrine cells and their processes in the IPL, but showed little colocalization with syntaxin 1 or other presynaptic markers. Syntaxin 3 was found in glutamatergic photoreceptor and bipolar cell ribbon synapses, but was absent from putative conventional glutamatergic amacrine cell synapses. Syntaxin 4 was localized to horizontal cell processes in the ribbon synaptic complexes of photoreceptor terminals and in puncta in the IPL that contacted dopaminergic and CD15-positive amacrine cells. Syntaxins 2 and 4 often were apposed to synaptic active zones labeled for bassoon. Conclusion These results indicate that each syntaxin isoform has unique, non-redundant functions in synaptic signaling and trafficking. Syntaxins 1 and 3 mediate presynaptic transmitter release from conventional and ribbon synapses, respectively. Syntaxins 2 and 4 are not presynaptic and likely mediate post-synaptic trafficking.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M Sherry
- University of Houston, College of Optometry, Houston, TX 77204, USA
- College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Robert Mitchell
- University of Houston, College of Optometry, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Kelly M Standifer
- College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
| | - Brad du Plessis
- University of Houston, College of Optometry, Houston, TX 77204, USA
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Abstract
Taste bud cells communicate with sensory afferent fibers and may also exchange information with adjacent cells. Indeed, communication between taste cells via conventional and/or novel synaptic interactions may occur prior to signal output to primary afferent fibers. This review discusses synaptic processing in taste buds and summarizes results showing that it is now possible to measure real-time release of synaptic transmitters during taste stimulation using cellular biosensors. There is strong evidence that serotonin and ATP play a role in cell-to-cell signaling and sensory output in the gustatory end organs.
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Affiliation(s)
- S D Roper
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, 1600 NW 10th Ave., Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
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Casini G, Rickman DW, Brecha NC. Expression of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plasma membrane transporter-1 in monkey and human retina. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2006; 47:1682-90. [PMID: 16565409 PMCID: PMC3696021 DOI: 10.1167/iovs.05-1117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To determine the expression pattern of the predominant gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plasma membrane transporter GAT-1 in Old World monkey (Macaca mulatta) and human retina. METHODS GAT-1 was localized in retinal sections by using immunohistochemical techniques with fluorescence and confocal microscopy. Double-labeling studies were performed with the GAT-1 antibody using antibodies to GABA, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and the bipolar cell marker Mab115A10. RESULTS The pattern of GAT-1 immunostaining was similar in human and monkey retinas. Numerous small immunoreactive somata were in the inner nuclear layer (INL) and were present rarely in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) of all retinal regions. Medium GAT-1 somata were in the ganglion cell layer in the parafoveal and peripheral retinal regions. GAT-1 fibers were densely distributed throughout the IPL. Varicose processes, originating from both the IPL and somata in the INL, arborized in the outer plexiform layer (OPL), forming a sparse network in all retinal regions, except the fovea. Sparsely occurring GAT-1 processes were in the nerve fiber layer in parafoveal regions and near the optic nerve head but not in the optic nerve. In the INL, 99% of the GAT-1 somata contained GABA, and 66% of the GABA immunoreactive somata expressed GAT-1. GAT-1 immunoreactivity was in all VIP-containing cells, but it was absent in TH-immunoreactive amacrine cells and in Mab115A10 immunoreactive bipolar cells. CONCLUSIONS GAT-1 in primate retinas is expressed by amacrine and displaced amacrine cells. The predominant expression of GAT-1 in the inner retina is consistent with the idea that GABA transporters influence neurotransmission and thus participate in visual information processing in the retina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Casini
- Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, Università della Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy.
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Dmitriev AV, Mangel SC. Electrical Feedback in the Cone Pedicle: A Computational Analysis. J Neurophysiol 2006; 95:1419-27. [PMID: 16319220 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00098.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the fundamental principles of neuroscience is that direct electrical interactions between neurons are not possible without specialized electrical contacts, gap junctions, because the transmembrane resistance of neurons is typically much higher than the resistance of the adjacent extracellular space. However it has been proposed that in the retina direct electrical interactions between cones and second-order neurons occur due to the specific morphology of the cone synaptic terminal. This electrical mechanism could potentially explain the phenomenon of “negative feedback” from horizontal cells to cones and the recent finding that the tips of horizontal cell dendrites contain hemichannels has rekindled interest in the idea. We quantitatively evaluated the possibility that hemichannels and/or glutamate channels mediate electrical feedback from horizontal cells to cones. The calculations show that it is unlikely that an electrical mechanism plays a significant functional role because 1) the necessity of preserving adequate cone-to-horizontal-cell synaptic transmission limits the extracellular space resistance and the horizontal-cell dendritic transmembrane resistances to values at which the effectiveness of electrical feedback is very low and its electrical effect on the cone presynaptic membrane is negligible, 2) electrical feedback is most effective in the dark and weaker during light adaptation, which contradicts the experimental data, and 3) electrical negative feedback is associated with much stronger electrical positive feedback from horizontal cells to cones, a phenomenon that has never been reported. Therefore it is likely that negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones is chemical in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrey V Dmitriev
- Dept. of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 333 W. 10th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Duebel J, Haverkamp S, Schleich W, Feng G, Augustine GJ, Kuner T, Euler T. Two-photon imaging reveals somatodendritic chloride gradient in retinal ON-type bipolar cells expressing the biosensor Clomeleon. Neuron 2006; 49:81-94. [PMID: 16387641 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2005.10.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2005] [Revised: 09/01/2005] [Accepted: 10/31/2005] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A somatodendritic gradient of Cl(-) concentration ([Cl(-)](i)) has been postulated to generate GABA-evoked responses of different polarity in retinal bipolar cells, hyperpolarizing in OFF cells with low dendritic [Cl(-)](i), and depolarizing in ON cells with high dendritic [Cl(-)](i). As glutamate released by the photoreceptors depolarizes OFF cells and hyperpolarizes ON cells, the bipolars' antagonistic receptive field (RF) could be computed by simply integrating glutamatergic inputs from the RF center and GABAergic inputs from horizontal cells in the RF surround. Using ratiometric two-photon imaging of Clomeleon, a Cl(-) indicator transgenically expressed in ON bipolar cells, we found that dendritic [Cl(-)](i) exceeds somatic [Cl(-)](i) by up to 20 mM and that GABA application can lead to Cl(-) efflux (depolarization) in these dendrites. Blockers of Cl(-) transporters reduced the somatodendritic [Cl(-)](i) gradient. Hence, our results support the idea that ON bipolar cells employ a somatodendritic [Cl(-)](i) gradient to invert GABAergic horizontal cell input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Duebel
- Department of Biomedical Optics, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, Jahnstrasse 29, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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35
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Hirano AA, Brandstätter JH, Brecha NC. Cellular distribution and subcellular localization of molecular components of vesicular transmitter release in horizontal cells of rabbit retina. J Comp Neurol 2005; 488:70-81. [PMID: 15912504 PMCID: PMC2820412 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism underlying transmitter release from retinal horizontal cells is poorly understood. We investigated the possibility of vesicular transmitter release from mammalian horizontal cells by examining the expression of synaptic proteins that participate in vesicular transmitter release at chemical synapses. Using immunocytochemistry, we evaluated the cellular and subcellular distribution of complexin I/II, syntaxin-1, and synapsin I in rabbit retina. Strong labeling for complexin I/II, proteins that regulate a late step in vesicular transmitter release, was found in both synaptic layers of the retina, and in somata of A- and B-type horizontal cells, of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)- and glycinergic amacrine cells, and of ganglion cells. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated the presence of complexin I/II in horizontal cell processes postsynaptic to rod and cone ribbon synapses. Syntaxin-1, a core protein of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive-factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) complex known to bind to complexin, and synapsin I, a synaptic vesicle-associated protein involved in the Ca(2+)-dependent recruitment of synaptic vesicles for transmitter release, were also present in the horizontal cells and their processes at photoreceptor synapses. Photoreceptors and bipolar cells did not express any of these proteins at their axon terminals. The presence of complexin I/II, syntaxin-1, and synapsin I in rabbit horizontal cell processes and tips suggests that a vesicular mechanism may underlie transmitter release from mammalian horizontal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arlene A Hirano
- Department of Neurobiology & Medicine, Geffen School of Medicine at University of California at Los Angeles, 90095, USA.
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Huang YJ, Maruyama Y, Lu KS, Pereira E, Plonsky I, Baur JE, Wu D, Roper SD. Mouse taste buds use serotonin as a neurotransmitter. J Neurosci 2005; 25:843-7. [PMID: 15673664 PMCID: PMC6725637 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4446-04.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 157] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Synapses between gustatory receptor cells and primary sensory afferent fibers transmit the output signal from taste buds to the CNS. Several transmitter candidates have been proposed for these synapses, including serotonin (5-HT), glutamate, acetylcholine, ATP, peptides, and others, but, to date, none has been unambiguously identified. We used Chinese hamster ovary cells stably expressing 5-HT2C receptors as biodetectors to monitor 5-HT release from taste buds. When taste buds were depolarized with KCl or stimulated with bitter, sweet, or sour (acid) tastants, serotonin was released. KCl- and acid-induced 5-HT release, but not release attributable to sweet or bitter stimulation, required Ca2+ influx. In contrast, 5-HT release evoked by sweet and bitter stimulation seemed to be triggered by intracellular Ca2+ release. These experiments strongly implicate serotonin as a taste bud neurotransmitter and reveal unexpected transmitter release mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Jen Huang
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136, USA
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37
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Famiglietti EV. Synaptic organization of complex ganglion cells in rabbit retina: type and arrangement of inputs to directionally selective and local-edge-detector cells. J Comp Neurol 2005; 484:357-91. [PMID: 15770656 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The type and topographic distribution of synaptic inputs to a directionally selective (DS) rabbit retinal ganglion cell (GC) were examined and were compared with those received by two other complex GC types. The percentage of cone bipolar cell (BC) input, presumably an index of sustained responses and simple receptive field properties, is much higher than expected for complex GCs in reference to previous reports in other species: approximately 20% for the type 1 bistratified ON-OFF DS GC and for a multistratified GC, and approximately 40% for the small-tufted local-edge-detector GC. Consistent with a previous study (Famiglietti [1991] J. Comp. Neurol. 309:40-70), no ultrastructural evidence is found for inhibitory synapses from starburst amacrine cells to the ON-OFF DS GC. The density of inputs to the ON-OFF DS GC is high and rather evenly distributed over the dendritic tree. Clustering of inputs brings excitatory and inhibitory inputs into proximity, but the strict on-path condition of more proximal inhibitory inputs, favoring shunting inhibition, is not satisfied. Prominent BC input and its regional variation suggest that BCs play key roles in DS neural circuitry, both pre- and postsynaptic to the ON-OFF DS GC, according to a bilayer model (Famiglietti [1993] Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 34:S985). Asymmetry of inhibitory amacrine cell input may signify a region on the preferred side of the receptive field, the inhibition-free zone (Barlow and Levick [1965] J. Physiol. (Lond.) 178:477-504), supporting a role for postsynaptic integration in the DS mechanism. Prominent BC input to the local-edge-detector, often without accompanying amacrine cell input, indicates presynaptic integration in forming its trigger feature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward V Famiglietti
- Department of Ophthalmology, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, USA.
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Kamermans M, Fahrenfort I. Ephaptic interactions within a chemical synapse: hemichannel-mediated ephaptic inhibition in the retina. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2004; 14:531-41. [PMID: 15464885 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2004.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The two best-known types of cell-cell communication are chemical synapses and electrical synapses, which are formed by gap junctions. A third, less well known, form of communication is ephaptic transmission, in which electric fields generated by a specific neuron alter the excitability of neighboring neurons as a result of their anatomical and electrical proximity. Ephaptic communication can be present in a variety of forms, each with their specific features and functional implications. One of these is ephaptic modulation within a chemical synapse. This type of communication has recently been proposed for the cone-horizontal cell synapse in the vertebrate retina. Evidence indicates that the extracellular potential in the synaptic terminal of photoreceptors is modulated by current flowing through connexin hemichannels at the tips of the horizontal cell dendrites, mediating negative feedback from horizontal cells to cones. This example can be added to the growing list of cases of ephaptic communication in the central nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten Kamermans
- The Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meiberdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Fyk-Kolodziej B, Dzhagaryan A, Qin P, Pourcho RG. Immunocytochemical localization of three vesicular glutamate transporters in the cat retina. J Comp Neurol 2004; 475:518-30. [PMID: 15236233 DOI: 10.1002/cne.20199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Vesicular transporters play an essential role in the packaging of glutamate for synaptic release and so are of particular importance in the retina, where glutamate serves as the neurotransmitter for photoreceptors, bipolar cells, and ganglion cells. In the present study, we have examined the distribution of the three known isoforms of vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT) in the cat retina. VGLUT1 was localized to all photoreceptor and bipolar cells, whereas VGLUT2 was found in ganglion cells. This basic pattern of complementary distribution for the two transporters among known populations of glutamatergic cells is similar to previous findings in the brain and spinal cord. However, the axon terminals of S-cone photoreceptors were found to express both VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 and some ganglion cells labeled for both VGLUT2 and VGLUT3. Such colocalizations suggest the existence of dual modes of regulation of vesicular glutamate transport in these neurons. Staining for VGLUT2 was also present in a small number of varicose processes, which were seen to ramify throughout the inner plexiform layer. These fibers may represent axon collaterals of ganglion cells. The most prominent site of VGLUT3 immunoreactivity was in a population of amacrine cells; the axon terminals of B-type horizontal cells were also labeled at their contacts with rod spherules. The presence of the VGLUT3 transporter at sites not otherwise implicated in glutamate release may indicate novel modes of glutamate signaling or additional roles for the transporter molecule.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bozena Fyk-Kolodziej
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA
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40
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Haverkamp S, Wässle H. Characterization of an amacrine cell type of the mammalian retina immunoreactive for vesicular glutamate transporter 3. J Comp Neurol 2003; 468:251-63. [PMID: 14648683 DOI: 10.1002/cne.10962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Immunocytochemical staining of vertical sections through rat, mouse, and macaque monkey retinae with antibodies against the vesicular glutamate transporter vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (vGluT3) showed a sparse population of amacrine cells. The labeled cells had similar appearances in the three species and probably represent homologous types. They were studied in detail in the rat retina. The thin varicose dendrites of vGluT3 amacrine cells formed a convoluted dendritic tree of approximately 100 microm in diameter that was bistratified in the center of the inner plexiform layer. The dendrites of vGluT3 cells were squeezed between the two strata of cholinergic dendrites. The density of vGluT3 cells was measured in retinal wholemounts and increased from 200/mm2 in peripheral retina to 400/mm2 in central retina, accounting for about 1% of all amacrine cells in the rat retina. The vGluT3 cells had a two- to threefold dendritic overlap, and their cell bodies formed a regular mosaic, suggesting they represent a single type of amacrine cell. The vGluT3 amacrine cells expressed glycine and glycine transporter 1 (GlyT1) but not the vesicular glycine transporter (vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter). They also expressed glutamate; hence, there is the possibility that, comparable to cholinergic amacrine cells, they are "dual transmitter" amacrine cells. The synaptic input of vGluT3 cells was studied by electron microscopy. They received input from bipolar cells at ribbon synapses and from other amacrine cells at conventional synapses. The types of bipolar cells possibly involved with vGluT3 cells were demonstrated by double labeling sections for vGluT3 and the calcium-binding protein CaB5. The axon terminals of type 3 and 5 bipolar cells costratified with vGluT3 dendrites, and it is possible that vGluT3 cells have ON and OFF light responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Haverkamp
- Department of Neuroanatomy, Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, D-60528 Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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Paik SS, Park NG, Lee SJ, Han HK, Jung CS, Bai SH, Chun MH. GABA receptors on horizontal cells in the goldfish retina. Vision Res 2003; 43:2101-6. [PMID: 12855246 DOI: 10.1016/s0042-6989(03)00335-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the localization of GABA(A) and GABA(C) receptors in horizontal cells (HCs) and HC axon terminals (ATs) dissociated from goldfish retina, using whole-cell patch-clamping recordings. Applications of GABA on HCs induced two groups with inward currents at the holding potential of -50 mV: One was a sustained inward current in the H1 cell, with one type of HCAT (AT1), and the other was a transient inward current in other HC soma and HCAT (AT2). Co-application of GABA with bicuculline or SR95531, GABA(A) receptor antagonists, showed a non-blocking effect in the sustained current, but a blocking effect in the transient current. The sustained current was evoked by cis-4-aminocrotonic acid (CACA), a GABA(C) receptor agonist, while the transient current was not induced by CACA, but mimicked by muscimol, a GABA(A) receptor agonist. Both the sustained and transient currents were completely blocked by picrotoxin and not mimicked by baclofen, a GABA(B) receptor agonist. Thus H1 cell and AT1 have GABA(C) receptors, while H2, H3 cells and AT2 have GABA(A) receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun-Sook Paik
- Physics and Biophysics Section, Department of Natural Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong Socho-gu, 137-701, Seoul, South Korea
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