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Govindaraju AC, Quraishi IH, Lysakowski A, Eatock RA, Raphael RM. Nonquantal transmission at the vestibular hair cell-calyx synapse: K LV currents modulate fast electrical and slow K + potentials. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2207466120. [PMID: 36595693 PMCID: PMC9926171 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2207466120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Vestibular hair cells transmit information about head position and motion across synapses to primary afferent neurons. At some of these synapses, the afferent neuron envelopes the hair cell, forming an enlarged synaptic terminal called a calyx. The vestibular hair cell-calyx synapse supports a mysterious form of electrical transmission that does not involve gap junctions, termed nonquantal transmission (NQT). The NQT mechanism is thought to involve the flow of ions from the presynaptic hair cell to the postsynaptic calyx through low-voltage-activated channels driven by changes in cleft [K+] as K+ exits the hair cell. However, this hypothesis has not been tested with a quantitative model and the possible role of an electrical potential in the cleft has remained speculative. Here, we present a computational model that captures experimental observations of NQT and identifies features that support the existence of an electrical potential (ϕ) in the synaptic cleft. We show that changes in cleft ϕ reduce transmission latency and illustrate the relative contributions of both cleft [K+] and ϕ to the gain and phase of NQT. We further demonstrate that the magnitude and speed of NQT depend on calyx morphology and that increasing calyx height reduces action potential latency in the calyx afferent. These predictions are consistent with the idea that the calyx evolved to enhance NQT and speed up vestibular signals that drive neural circuits controlling gaze, balance, and orientation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravind Chenrayan Govindaraju
- aApplied Physics Graduate Program, Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University, Houston, TX77005
- bDepartment of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX77005
| | - Imran H. Quraishi
- cDepartment of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT06510
| | - Anna Lysakowski
- dDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL60612
| | - Ruth Anne Eatock
- eDepartment of Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Robert M. Raphael
- bDepartment of Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX77005
- 1To whom correspondence may be addressed.
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Li Q, Zhu H, Fan M, Sun J, Reinach PS, Wang Y, Qu J, Zhou X, Zhao F. Form-deprivation myopia downregulates calcium levels in retinal horizontal cells in mice. Exp Eye Res 2022; 218:109018. [PMID: 35240197 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2022.109018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The process of eye axis lengthening in myopic eyes is regulated by multiple mechanisms in the retina, and horizontal cells (HCs) are an essential interneuron in the visual regulatory system. Wherein intracellular Ca2+ plays an important role in the events involved in the regulatory role of HCs in the retinal neural network. It is unknown if intracellular Ca2+ regulation in HCs mediates changes in the retinal neural network during myopia progression. We describe here a novel calcium fluorescence indicator system that monitors HCs' intracellular Ca2+ levels during form-deprivation myopia (FDM) in mice. AAV injection of GCaMP6s, as a protein calcium sensor, into a Gja10-Cre mouse monitored the changes in Ca2+signaling in HC that accompany FDM progression in mice. An alternative Gja10-Cre/Ai96-GCaMP6s mouse model was created by cross mating Gja10-Cre with Ai96 mice. Immunofluorescence imaging and live imaging of the retinal cells verified the identity of these animal models. Changes in retinal horizontal cellular Ca2+ levels were resolved during FDM development. The numbers of GCaMP6s and the proportion of HCs were tracked based on profiling changes in GCaMP6s+calbindin+/calbindin+ coimmunostaining patterns. They significantly decreased more after either two days (P < 0.01) or two weeks (P < 0.001) in form deprived eyes than in the untreated fellow eyes. These decreases in their proportion reached significance only in the retinal central region rather than also in the retinal periphery. A novel approach employing a GCaMP6s mouse model was developed that may ultimately clarify if HCs mediate Ca2+ signals that contribute to controlling FDM progression in mice. The results indicate so far that FDM progression is associated with declines in HC Ca2+ signaling activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qihang Li
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - He Zhu
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Miaomiao Fan
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jing Sun
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Peter S Reinach
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuhan Wang
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jia Qu
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Unit of Myopia Basic Research and Clinical Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU025), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiangtian Zhou
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Research Unit of Myopia Basic Research and Clinical Prevention and Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019RU025), Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; Oujiang Laboratory, Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Fuxin Zhao
- School of Optometry and Ophthalmology and Eye Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China; State Key Laboratory of Optometry, Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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3
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Vila A, Shihabeddin E, Zhang Z, Santhanam A, Ribelayga CP, O'Brien J. Synaptic Scaffolds, Ion Channels and Polyamines in Mouse Photoreceptor Synapses: Anatomy of a Signaling Complex. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:667046. [PMID: 34393723 PMCID: PMC8356055 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.667046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Synaptic signaling complexes are held together by scaffold proteins, each of which is selectively capable of interacting with a number of other proteins. In previous studies of rabbit retina, we found Synapse-Associated Protein-102 (SAP102) and Channel Associated Protein of Synapse-110 (Chapsyn110) selectively localized in the tips of horizontal cell processes at contacts with rod and cone photoreceptors, along with several interacting ion channels. We have examined the equivalent suites of proteins in mouse retina and found similarities and differences. In the mouse retina we identified Chapsyn110 as the scaffold selectively localized in the tips of horizontal cells contacting photoreceptors, with Sap102 more diffusely present. As in rabbit, the inward rectifier potassium channel Kir2.1 was present with Chapsyn110 on the tips of horizontal cell dendrites within photoreceptor invaginations, where it could provide a hyperpolarization-activated current that could contribute to ephaptic signaling in the photoreceptor synapses. Pannexin 1 and Pannexin 2, thought to play a role in ephaptic and/or pH mediated signaling, were present in the outer plexiform layer, but likely not in the horizontal cells. Polyamines regulate many ion channels and control the degree of rectification of Kir2.1 by imposing a voltage-dependent block. During the day polyamine immunolabeling was unexpectedly high in photoreceptor terminals compared to other areas of the retina. This content was significantly lower at night, when polyamine content was predominantly in Müller glia, indicating daily rhythms of polyamine content. Both rod and cone terminals displayed the same rhythm. While polyamine content was not prominent in horizontal cells, if polyamines are released, they may regulate the activity of Kir2.1 channels located in the tips of HCs. The rhythmic change in polyamine content of photoreceptor terminals suggests that a daily rhythm tunes the behavior of suites of ion channels within the photoreceptor synapses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Vila
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Eyad Shihabeddin
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Zhijing Zhang
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Abirami Santhanam
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Christophe P Ribelayga
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
| | - John O'Brien
- Richard S. Ruiz M.D. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, United States.,MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, United States
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Baer SM, Chang S, Crook SM, Gardner CL, Jones JR, Ringhofer C, Nelson RF. A multiscale continuum model of the vertebrate outer retina: The temporal dynamics of background-induced flicker enhancement. J Theor Biol 2021; 525:110763. [PMID: 34000285 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The retina is a part of the central nervous system that is accessible, well documented, and studied by researchers spanning the clinical, experimental, and theoretical sciences. Here, we mathematically model the subcircuits of the outer plexiform layer of the retina on two spatial scales: that of an individual synapse and that of the scale of the receptive field (hundreds to thousands of synapses). To this end we formulate a continuum spine model (a partial differential equation system) that incorporates the horizontal cell syncytium and its numerous processes (spines) within cone pedicles. With this multiscale modeling approach, detailed biophysical mechanisms at the synaptic level are retained while scaling up to the receptive field level. As an example of its utility, the model is applied to study background-induced flicker enhancement in which the onset of a dim background enhances the center flicker response of horizontal cells. Simulation results, in comparison with flicker enhancement data for square, slit, and disk test regions, suggest that feedback mechanisms that are voltage-axis modulators of cone calcium channels (for example, ephaptic and/or pH feedback) are robust in capturing the temporal dynamics of background-induced flicker enhancement. The value and potential of this continuum spine approach is that it provides a framework for mathematically modeling the input-output properties of the entire receptive field of the outer retina while implementing the latest models for transmission mechanisms at the synaptic level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Baer
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States.
| | - Shaojie Chang
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States; The High School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100052, PR China
| | - Sharon M Crook
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Carl L Gardner
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Jeremiah R Jones
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Christian Ringhofer
- School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States
| | - Ralph F Nelson
- Neural Circuits Unit, Basic Neuroscience Program, NINDS, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
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5
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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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6
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Controlling Horizontal Cell-Mediated Lateral Inhibition in Transgenic Zebrafish Retina with Chemogenetic Tools. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0022-20.2020. [PMID: 33060180 PMCID: PMC7665903 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0022-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Horizontal cells (HCs) form reciprocal synapses with rod and cone photoreceptors, an arrangement that underlies lateral inhibition in the retina. HCs send negative and positive feedback signals to photoreceptors, but how HCs initiate these signals remains unclear. Unfortunately, because HCs have no unique neurotransmitter receptors, there are no pharmacological treatments for perturbing membrane potential specifically in HCs. Here we use transgenic zebrafish whose HCs express alien receptors, enabling cell-type-specific control by cognate alien agonists. To depolarize HCs, we used the Phe-Met-Arg-Phe-amide (FMRFamide)-gated Na+ channel (FaNaC) activated by the invertebrate neuropeptide FMRFamide. To hyperpolarize HCs we used a pharmacologically selective actuator module (PSAM)-glycine receptor (GlyR), an engineered Cl– selective channel activated by a synthetic agonist. Expression of FaNaC or PSAM-GlyR was restricted to HCs with the cell-type selective promoter for connexin-55.5. We assessed HC-feedback control of photoreceptor synapses in three ways. First, we measured presynaptic exocytosis from photoreceptor terminals using the fluorescent dye FM1-43. Second, we measured the electroretinogram (ERG) b-wave, a signal generated by postsynaptic responses. Third, we used Ca2+ imaging in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) expressing the Ca2+ indicator GCaMP6. Addition of FMRFamide significantly decreased FM1-43 destaining in darkness, whereas the addition of PSAM-GlyR significantly increased it. However, both agonists decreased the light-elicited ERG b-wave and eliminated surround inhibition of the Ca2+ response of RGCs. Taken together, our findings show that chemogenetic tools can selectively manipulate negative feedback from HCs, providing a platform for understanding its mechanism and helping to elucidate its functional roles in visual information processing at a succession of downstream stages.
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Abstract
At the first retinal synapse, horizontal cells (HCs) contact both photoreceptor terminals and bipolar cell dendrites, modulating information transfer between these two cell types to enhance spatial contrast and mediate color opponency. The synaptic mechanisms through which these modulations occur are still debated. The initial hypothesis of a GABAergic feedback from HCs to cones has been challenged by pharmacological inconsistencies. Surround antagonism has been demonstrated to occur via a modulation of cone calcium channels through ephaptic signaling and pH changes in the synaptic cleft. GABAergic transmission between HCs and cones has been reported in some lower vertebrates, like the turtle and tiger salamander. In these reports, it was revealed that GABA is released from HCs through reverse transport and target GABA receptors are located at the cone terminals. In mammalian retinas, there is growing evidence that HCs can release GABA through conventional vesicular transmission, acting both on autaptic GABA receptors and on receptors expressed at the dendritic tips of the bipolar cells. The presence of GABA receptors on mammalian cone terminals remains equivocal. Here, we looked specifically for functional GABA receptors in mouse photoreceptors by recording in the whole-cell or amphotericin/gramicidin-perforated patch clamp configurations. Cones could be differentiated from rods through morphological criteria. Local GABA applications evoked a Cl- current in cones but not in rods. It was blocked by the GABAA receptor antagonist bicuculline methiodide and unaffected by the GABAC receptor antagonist TPMPA [(1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridin-4-yl)methylphosphinic acid]. The voltage dependency of the current amplitude was as expected from a direct action of GABA on cone pedicles but not from an indirect modulation of cone currents following the activation of the GABA receptors of HCs. This supports a direct role of GABA released from HCs in the control of cone activity in the mouse retina.
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8
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Wen X, Thoreson WB. Contributions of glutamate transporters and Ca 2+-activated Cl - currents to feedback from horizontal cells to cone photoreceptors. Exp Eye Res 2019; 189:107847. [PMID: 31628905 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2019.107847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Revised: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Lateral inhibitory feedback from horizontal cells (HCs) to cones establishes center-surround receptive fields and color opponency in the retina. When HCs hyperpolarize to light, inhibitory feedback to cones increases activation of cone Ca2+ currents (ICa) that can in turn activate additional currents. We recorded simultaneously from cones and HCs to analyze cone currents activated by HC feedback in salamander retina. Depolarization-activated inward tail currents in cones were inhibited by CaCCinh-A01 that inhibits both Ano1 and Ano2 Ca2+-activated Cl- currents (ICl(Ca)). An Ano1-selective inhibitor Ani9 was less effective suggesting that Ano2 is the predominant ICl(Ca) subtype in cones. CaCCinh-A01 inhibited feedback currents more strongly when intracellular Ca2+ in cones was buffered with 0.05 mM EGTA compared to stronger buffering with 5 mM EGTA. By contrast, blocking glutamate transporter anion currents (ICl(Glu)) with TBOA had stronger inhibitory effects on cone feedback currents when Ca2+ buffering was strong. Inward feedback currents ran down at rates intermediate between rundown of glutamate release and ICl(Ca), consistent with contributions to feedback from both ICl(Ca) and ICl(Glu). These results suggest that Cl- channels coupled to glutamate transporters help to speed inward feedback currents initiated by local changes in intracellular [Ca2+] close to synaptic ribbons of cones whereas Ano2 Ca2+-activated Cl- channels contribute to slower components of feedback regulated by spatially extensive changes in intracellular [Ca2+].
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyi Wen
- Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China; Department of Optometry and Visual Science, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, China; Truhlsen Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Wallace B Thoreson
- Truhlsen Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA.
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Thoreson WB, Dacey DM. Diverse Cell Types, Circuits, and Mechanisms for Color Vision in the Vertebrate Retina. Physiol Rev 2019; 99:1527-1573. [PMID: 31140374 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00027.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Synaptic interactions to extract information about wavelength, and thus color, begin in the vertebrate retina with three classes of light-sensitive cells: rod photoreceptors at low light levels, multiple types of cone photoreceptors that vary in spectral sensitivity, and intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells that contain the photopigment melanopsin. When isolated from its neighbors, a photoreceptor confounds photon flux with wavelength and so by itself provides no information about color. The retina has evolved elaborate color opponent circuitry for extracting wavelength information by comparing the activities of different photoreceptor types broadly tuned to different parts of the visible spectrum. We review studies concerning the circuit mechanisms mediating opponent interactions in a range of species, from tetrachromatic fish with diverse color opponent cell types to common dichromatic mammals where cone opponency is restricted to a subset of specialized circuits. Distinct among mammals, primates have reinvented trichromatic color vision using novel strategies to incorporate evolution of an additional photopigment gene into the foveal structure and circuitry that supports high-resolution vision. Color vision is absent at scotopic light levels when only rods are active, but rods interact with cone signals to influence color perception at mesopic light levels. Recent evidence suggests melanopsin-mediated signals, which have been identified as a substrate for setting circadian rhythms, may also influence color perception. We consider circuits that may mediate these interactions. While cone opponency is a relatively simple neural computation, it has been implemented in vertebrates by diverse neural mechanisms that are not yet fully understood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wallace B Thoreson
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska ; and Department of Biological Structure, Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
| | - Dennis M Dacey
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center , Omaha, Nebraska ; and Department of Biological Structure, Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington , Seattle, Washington
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10
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Localizing Proton-Mediated Inhibitory Feedback at the Retinal Horizontal Cell-Cone Synapse with Genetically-Encoded pH Probes. J Neurosci 2018; 39:651-662. [PMID: 30504272 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1541-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Lateral inhibition in the vertebrate retina depends on a negative feedback synapse between horizontal cells (HCs) and rod and cone photoreceptors. A change in pH is thought to be the signal for negative feedback, but its spatial profile in the synaptic cleft is unknown. Here we use three different membrane proteins, each fused to the same genetically-encoded pH-sensitive Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) (pHluorin), to probe synaptic pH in retina from transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio) of either sex. We used the cone transducin promoter to express SynaptopHluorin (pHluorin on vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP2)) or CalipHluorin (pHluorin on an L-type Ca2+ channel) and the HC-specific connexin-55.5 promoter to express AMPApHluorin (pHluorin on an AMPA receptor). Stimulus light led to increased fluorescence of all three probes, consistent with alkalinization of the synaptic cleft. The receptive field size, sensitivity to surround illumination, and response to activation of an alien receptor expressed exclusively in HCs, are consistent with lateral inhibition as the trigger for alkalinization. However, SynaptopHluorin and AMPApHluorin, which are displaced farther from cone synaptic ribbons than CalipHluorin, reported a smaller pH change. Hence, unlike feedforward glutamatergic transmission, which spills over to allow cross talk between terminals in the cone network, the pH change underlying HC feedback is compartmentalized to individual synaptic invaginations within a cone terminal, consistent with private line communication.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Lateral inhibition (LI) is a fundamental feature of information processing in sensory systems, enhancing contrast sensitivity and enabling edge discrimination. Horizontal cells (HCs) are the first cellular substrate of LI in the vertebrate retina, but the synaptic mechanisms underlying LI are not completely understood, despite decades of study. This paper makes a significant contribution to our understanding of LI, by showing that each HC-cone synapse is a "private-line" that operates independently from other HC-cone connections. Using transgenic zebrafish expressing pHluorin, a pH-sensitive GFP variant spliced onto three different protein platforms expressed either in cones or HCs we show that the feedback pH signal is constrained to individual cone terminals, and more stringently, to individual synaptic contact sites within each terminal.
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11
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Tchernookova BK, Heer C, Young M, Swygart D, Kaufman R, Gongwer M, Shepherd L, Caringal H, Jacoby J, Kreitzer MA, Malchow RP. Activation of retinal glial (Müller) cells by extracellular ATP induces pronounced increases in extracellular H+ flux. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190893. [PMID: 29466379 PMCID: PMC5821311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Small alterations in extracellular acidity are potentially important modulators of neuronal signaling within the vertebrate retina. Here we report a novel extracellular acidification mechanism mediated by glial cells in the retina. Using self-referencing H+-selective microelectrodes to measure extracellular H+ fluxes, we show that activation of retinal Müller (glial) cells of the tiger salamander by micromolar concentrations of extracellular ATP induces a pronounced extracellular H+ flux independent of bicarbonate transport. ADP, UTP and the non-hydrolyzable analog ATPγs at micromolar concentrations were also potent stimulators of extracellular H+ fluxes, but adenosine was not. The extracellular H+ fluxes induced by ATP were mimicked by the P2Y1 agonist MRS 2365 and were significantly reduced by the P2 receptor blockers suramin and PPADS, suggesting activation of P2Y receptors. Bath-applied ATP induced an intracellular rise in calcium in Müller cells; both the calcium rise and the extracellular H+ fluxes were significantly attenuated when calcium re-loading into the endoplasmic reticulum was inhibited by thapsigargin and when the PLC-IP3 signaling pathway was disrupted with 2-APB and U73122. The anion transport inhibitor DIDS also markedly reduced the ATP-induced increase in H+ flux while SITS had no effect. ATP-induced H+ fluxes were also observed from Müller cells isolated from human, rat, monkey, skate and lamprey retinae, suggesting a highly evolutionarily conserved mechanism of potential general importance. Extracellular ATP also induced significant increases in extracellular H+ flux at the level of both the outer and inner plexiform layers in retinal slices of tiger salamander which was significantly reduced by suramin and PPADS. We suggest that the novel H+ flux mediated by ATP-activation of Müller cells and of other glia as well may be a key mechanism modulating neuronal signaling in the vertebrate retina and throughout the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boriana K. Tchernookova
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BKT); (RPM)
| | - Chad Heer
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Marin Young
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - David Swygart
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Ryan Kaufman
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Michael Gongwer
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Lexi Shepherd
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Hannah Caringal
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Jason Jacoby
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Matthew A. Kreitzer
- Department of Biology, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Robert Paul Malchow
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail: (BKT); (RPM)
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12
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Lipin MY, Vigh J. Quantifying the effect of light activated outer and inner retinal inhibitory pathways on glutamate release from mixed bipolar cells. Synapse 2018; 72:e22028. [PMID: 29360185 DOI: 10.1002/syn.22028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition mediated by horizontal and amacrine cells in the outer and inner retina, respectively, are fundamental components of visual processing. Here, our purpose was to determine how these different inhibitory processes affect glutamate release from ON bipolar cells when the retina is stimulated with full-field light of various intensities. Light-evoked membrane potential changes (ΔVm ) were recorded directly from axon terminals of intact bipolar cells receiving mixed rod and cone inputs (Mbs) in slices of dark-adapted goldfish retina. Inner and outer retinal inhibition to Mbs was blocked with bath applied picrotoxin (PTX) and NBQX, respectively. Then, control and pharmacologically modified light responses were injected into axotomized Mb terminals as command potentials to induce voltage-gated Ca2+ influx (QCa ) and consequent glutamate release. Stimulus-evoked glutamate release was quantified by the increase in membrane capacitance (ΔCm ). Increasing depolarization of Mb terminals upon removal of inner and outer retinal inhibition enhanced the ΔVm /QCa ratio equally at a given light intensity and inhibition did not alter the overall relation between QCa and ΔCm . However, relative to control, light responses recorded in the presence of PTX and PTX + NBQX increased ΔCm unevenly across different stimulus intensities: at dim stimulus intensities predominantly the inner retinal GABAergic inhibition controlled release from Mbs, whereas the inner and outer retinal inhibition affected release equally in response to bright stimuli. Furthermore, our results suggest that non-linear relationship between QCa and glutamate release can influence the efficacy of inner and outer retinal inhibitory pathways to mediate Mb output at different light intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikhail Y Lipin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1617
| | - Jozsef Vigh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, 1617 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1617
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13
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Cenedese V, de Graaff W, Csikós T, Poovayya M, Zoidl G, Kamermans M. Pannexin 1 Is Critically Involved in Feedback from Horizontal Cells to Cones. Front Mol Neurosci 2017; 10:403. [PMID: 29375296 PMCID: PMC5770619 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinal horizontal cells (HCs) feed back negatively to cone photoreceptors and in that way generate the center/surround organization of bipolar cell receptive fields. The mechanism by which HCs inhibit photoreceptors is a matter of debate. General consensus exists that horizontal cell activity leads to the modulation of the cone Ca-current. This modulation has two components, one fast and the other slow. Several mechanisms for this modulation have been proposed: a fast ephaptic mechanism, and a slow pH mediated mechanism. Here we test the hypothesis that the slow negative feedback signal from HCs to cones is mediated by Panx1 channels expressed at the tips of the dendrites of horizontal cell. We generated zebrafish lacking Panx1 and found that the slow component of the feedback signal was strongly reduced in the mutants showing that Panx1 channels are a fundamental part of the negative feedback pathway from HCs to cones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cenedese
- Retinal Signal Processing Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wim de Graaff
- Retinal Signal Processing Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tamás Csikós
- Retinal Signal Processing Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mitali Poovayya
- Retinal Signal Processing Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Georg Zoidl
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Maarten Kamermans
- Retinal Signal Processing Lab, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Biomedical Physics and Biomedical Optics, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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14
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Noel NCL, Allison WT. Connectivity of cone photoreceptor telodendria in the zebrafish retina. J Comp Neurol 2017; 526:609-625. [PMID: 29127712 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2017] [Revised: 10/26/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The connectivity amongst photoreceptors is critical to their function, as it underpins lateral inhibition and effective translation of stimuli into neural signals. Despite much work characterizing second-order interneurons in the outer retina, the synapses directly connecting photoreceptors have often been overlooked. Telodendria are fine processes that connect photoreceptor pedicles. They have been observed in diverse vertebrate groups, yet their roles in vision remain speculative. Here, we visualize telodendria via fluorescent protein expression in photoreceptor subtypes. We characterized short wavelength cone telodendria in adult and larval zebrafish retina. Additionally, in the larval retina, we investigated rod telodendria and UV cone telodendria in mutant and transgenic retinas with altered complements of cone types. In the adult retina, telodendria are twice as abundant and branch almost twice as often on blue cones compared to UV cones. Pedicles of neighboring UV and blue cones typically converge into contiguous pairs, despite the regular spacing of their cell bodies. In contrast to adults, larval UV cone telodendria are more numerous (1.3 times) than blue cone telodendria. UV cone telodendria are not detectably affected by ablation of blue cones, and are reduced twofold in mutant larval retina with few UV cones. We thus saw no evidence that telodendria increase in number in the absence of their typical cellular neighbors. We also found that larval rod telodendria are less abundant than short wavelength cone telodendria. In summary, we describe the development and morphology of zebrafish photoreceptor synaptic connectivity toward appreciating the function of telodendria in visual signal processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C L Noel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - W Ted Allison
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Centre for Prions & Protein Folding Disease, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S. Diamond
- Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-3701
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16
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Grassmeyer JJ, Thoreson WB. Synaptic Ribbon Active Zones in Cone Photoreceptors Operate Independently from One Another. Front Cell Neurosci 2017; 11:198. [PMID: 28744203 PMCID: PMC5504102 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2017.00198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Cone photoreceptors depolarize in darkness to release glutamate-laden synaptic vesicles. Essential to release is the synaptic ribbon, a structure that helps organize active zones by clustering vesicles near proteins that mediate exocytosis, including voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. Cone terminals have many ribbon-style active zones at which second-order neurons receive input. We asked whether there are functionally significant differences in local Ca2+ influx among ribbons in individual cones. We combined confocal Ca2+ imaging to measure Ca2+ influx at individual ribbons and patch clamp recordings to record whole-cell ICa in salamander cones. We found that the voltage for half-maximal activation (V50) of whole cell ICa in cones averaged −38.1 mV ± 3.05 mV (standard deviation [SD]), close to the cone membrane potential in darkness of ca. −40 mV. Ca2+ signals at individual ribbons varied in amplitude from one another and showed greater variability in V50 values than whole-cell ICa, suggesting that Ca2+ signals can differ significantly among ribbons within cones. After accounting for potential sources of technical variability in measurements of Ca2+ signals and for contributions from cone-to-cone differences in ICa, we found that the variability in V50 values for ribbon Ca2+ signals within individual cones showed a SD of 2.5 mV. Simulating local differences in Ca2+ channel activity at two ribbons by shifting the V50 value of ICa by ±2.5 mV (1 SD) about the mean suggests that when the membrane depolarizes to −40 mV, two ribbons could experience differences in Ca2+ influx of >45%. Further evidence that local Ca2+ changes at ribbons can be regulated independently was obtained in experiments showing that activation of inhibitory feedback from horizontal cells (HCs) to cones in paired recordings changed both amplitude and V50 of Ca2+ signals at individual ribbons. By varying the strength of synaptic output, differences in voltage dependence and amplitude of Ca2+ signals at individual ribbons shape the information transmitted from cones to downstream neurons in vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin J Grassmeyer
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, United States.,Truhlsen Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, United States
| | - Wallace B Thoreson
- Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, United States.,Truhlsen Eye Institute and Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical CenterOmaha, NE, United States
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17
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Chapot CA, Euler T, Schubert T. How do horizontal cells 'talk' to cone photoreceptors? Different levels of complexity at the cone-horizontal cell synapse. J Physiol 2017; 595:5495-5506. [PMID: 28378516 DOI: 10.1113/jp274177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The first synapse of the retina plays a fundamental role in the visual system. Due to its importance, it is critical that it encodes information from the outside world with the greatest accuracy and precision possible. Cone photoreceptor axon terminals contain many individual synaptic sites, each represented by a presynaptic structure called a 'ribbon'. These synapses are both highly sophisticated and conserved. Each ribbon relays the light signal to one ON cone bipolar cell and several OFF cone bipolar cells, while two dendritic processes from a GABAergic interneuron, the horizontal cell, modulate the cone output via parallel feedback mechanisms. The presence of these three partners within a single synapse has raised numerous questions, and its anatomical and functional complexity is still only partially understood. However, the understanding of this synapse has recently evolved, as a consequence of progress in understanding dendritic signal processing and its role in facilitating global versus local signalling. Indeed, for the downstream retinal network, dendritic processing in horizontal cells may be essential, as they must support important functional operations such as contrast enhancement, which requires spatial averaging of the photoreceptor array, while at the same time preserving accurate spatial information. Here, we review recent progress made towards a better understanding of the cone synapse, with an emphasis on horizontal cell function, and discuss why such complexity might be necessary for early visual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille A Chapot
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Euler
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Timm Schubert
- Institute for Ophthalmic Research, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
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