Genetic manipulation of rod-cone differences in mouse retina

Though rod and cone photoreceptors use similar phototransduction mechanisms, previous model calculations have indicated that the most important differences in their light responses are likely to be differences in amplification of the G-protein cascade, different decay rates of phosphodiesterase (PDE) and pigment phosphorylation, and different rates of turnover of cGMP in darkness. To test this hypothesis, we constructed TrUx;GapOx rods by crossing mice with decreased transduction gain from decreased transducin expression, with mice displaying an increased rate of PDE decay from increased expression of GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). These two manipulations brought the sensitivity of TrUx;GapOx rods to within a factor of 2 of WT cone sensitivity, after correcting for outer-segment dimensions. These alterations did not, however, change photoreceptor adaptation: rods continued to show increment saturation though at a higher background intensity. These experiments confirm model calculations that rod responses can mimic some (though not all) of the features of cone responses after only a few changes in the properties of transduction proteins.

Investigation of the functional impact of CHED- and FECD4-associated SLC4A11 mutations in human corneal endothelial cells

Mutations in the solute linked carrier family 4 member 11 (SLC4A11) gene are associated with congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED) and Fuchs corneal endothelial dystrophy type 4 (FECD4), both characterized by corneal endothelial cell (CEnC) dysfunction and/or cell loss leading to corneal edema and visual impairment. In this study, we characterize the impact of CHED-/FECD4-associated SLC4A11 mutations on CEnC function and SLC4A11 protein localization by generating and comparing human CEnC (hCEnC) lines expressing wild type SLC4A11 (SLC4A11WT) or mutant SLC4A11 harboring CHED-/FECD4-associated SLC4A11 mutations (SLC4A11MU). SLC4A11WT and SLC4A11MU hCEnC lines were generated to express either SLC4A11 variant 2 (V2WT and V2MU) or variant 3 (V3WT and V3MU), the two major variants expressed in ex vivo hCEnC. Functional assays were performed to assess cell barrier, proliferation, viability, migration, and NH3-induced membrane conductance. We demonstrate SLC4A11-/- and SLC4A11MU hCEnC lines exhibited increased migration rates, altered proliferation and decreased cell viability compared to SLC4A11WT hCEnC. Additionally, SLC4A11-/- hCEnC demonstrated decreased cell-substrate adhesion and membrane capacitances compared to SLC4A11WT hCEnC. Induction with 10mM NH4Cl led SLC4A11WT hCEnC to depolarize; conversely, SLC4A11-/- hCEnC hyperpolarized and the majority of SLC4A11MU hCEnC either hyperpolarized or had minimal membrane potential changes following NH4Cl induction. Immunostaining of primary hCEnC and SLC4A11WT hCEnC lines for SLC4A11 demonstrated predominately plasma membrane staining with poor or partial colocalization with mitochondrial marker COX4 within a subset of punctate subcellular structures. Overall, our findings suggest CHED-associated SLC4A11 mutations likely lead to hCEnC dysfunction, and ultimately CHED, by interfering with cell migration, proliferation, viability, membrane conductance, barrier function, and/or cell surface localization of the SLC4A11 protein in hCEnC. Additionally, based on their similar subcellular localization and exhibiting similar cell functional profiles, protein isoforms encoded by SLC4A11 variant 2 and variant 3 likely have highly overlapping functional roles in hCEnC.

Late gene therapy limits the restoration of retinal function in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited photoreceptor degeneration that begins with rod loss followed by cone loss. This cell loss greatly diminishes vision, with most patients becoming legally blind. Gene therapies are being developed, but it is unknown how retinal function depends on the time of intervention. To uncover this dependence, we utilize a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa capable of artificial genetic rescue. This model enables a benchmark of best-case gene therapy by removing variables that complicate answering this question. Complete genetic rescue was performed at 25%, 50%, and 70% rod loss (early, mid and late, respectively). Early and mid treatment restore retinal output to near wild-type levels. Late treatment retinas exhibit continued, albeit slowed, loss of sensitivity and signal fidelity among retinal ganglion cells, as well as persistent gliosis. We conclude that gene replacement therapies delivered after 50% rod loss are unlikely to restore visual function to normal. This is critical information for administering gene therapies to rescue vision.

Light Adaptation of Retinal Rod Bipolar Cells

The sensitivity of retinal cells is altered in background light to optimize the detection of contrast. For scotopic (rod) vision, substantial adaptation occurs in the first two cells, the rods and rod bipolar cells (RBCs), through sensitivity adjustments in rods and postsynaptic modulation of the transduction cascade in RBCs. To study the mechanisms mediating these components of adaptation, we made whole-cell, voltage-clamp recordings from retinal slices of mice from both sexes. Adaptation was assessed by fitting the Hill equation to response-intensity relationships with the parameters of half-maximal response (I1/2 ), Hill coefficient (n), and maximum response amplitude (Rmax ). We show that rod sensitivity decreases in backgrounds according to the Weber-Fechner relation with an I1/2 of ∼50 R* s-1 The sensitivity of RBCs follows a near-identical function, indicating that changes in RBC sensitivity in backgrounds bright enough to adapt the rods are mostly derived from the rods themselves. Backgrounds too dim to adapt the rods can however alter n, relieving a synaptic nonlinearity likely through entry of Ca2+ into the RBCs. There is also a surprising decrease of Rmax , indicating that a step in RBC synaptic transduction is desensitized or that the transduction channels became reluctant to open. This effect is greatly reduced after dialysis of BAPTA at a membrane potential of +50 mV to impede Ca2+ entry. Thus the effects of background illumination in RBCs are in part the result of processes intrinsic to the photoreceptors and in part derive from additional Ca2+-dependent processes at the first synapse of vision.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Light adaptation adjusts the sensitivity of vision as ambient illumination changes. Adaptation for scotopic (rod) vision is known to occur partly in the rods and partly in the rest of the retina from presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. We recorded light responses of rods and rod bipolar cells to identify different components of adaptation and study their mechanisms. We show that bipolar-cell sensitivity largely follows adaptation of the rods but that light too dim to adapt the rods produces a linearization of the bipolar-cell response and a surprising decrease in maximum response amplitude, both mediated by a change in intracellular Ca2+ These findings provide a new understanding of how the retina responds to changing illumination.

A Novel Role for UNC119 as an Enhancer of Synaptic Transmission

Mammalian UNC119 is a ciliary trafficking chaperone highly expressed in the inner segment of retinal photoreceptors. Previous research has shown that UNC119 can bind to transducin, the synaptic ribbon protein RIBEYE, and the calcium-binding protein CaBP4, suggesting that UNC119 may have a role in synaptic transmission. We made patch-clamp recordings from retinal slices in mice with the UNC119 gene deleted and showed that removal of even one gene of UNC119 has no effect on the rod outer segment photocurrent, but acted on bipolar cells much like background light: it depolarized membrane potential, decreased sensitivity, accelerated response decay, and decreased the Hill coefficient of the response-intensity relationship. Similar effects were seen on rod bipolar-cell current and voltage responses, and after exposure to bright light to translocate transducin into the rod inner segment. These findings indicate that UNC119 deletion reduces the steady-state glutamate release rate at rod synapses, though no change in the voltage dependence of the synaptic Ca current was detected. We conclude that UNC119, either by itself or together with transducin, can facilitate the release of glutamate at rod synapses, probably by some interaction with RIBEYE or other synaptic proteins rather than by binding to CaBP4 or calcium channels.

Cones and cone pathways remain functional in advanced retinal degeneration

Most defects causing retinal degeneration in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are rod-specific mutations, but the subsequent degeneration of cones, which produces loss of daylight vision and high-acuity perception, is the most debilitating feature of the disease. To understand better why cones degenerate and how cone vision might be restored, we have made the first single-cell recordings of light responses from degenerating cones and retinal interneurons after most rods have died and cones have lost their outer-segment disk membranes and synaptic pedicles. We show that degenerating cones have functional cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels and can continue to give light responses, apparently produced by opsin localized either to small areas of organized membrane near the ciliary axoneme or distributed throughout the inner segment. Light responses of second-order horizontal and bipolar cells are less sensitive but otherwise resemble those of normal retina. Furthermore, retinal output as reflected in responses of ganglion cells is less sensitive but maintains spatiotemporal receptive fields at cone-mediated light levels. Together, these findings show that cones and their retinal pathways can remain functional even as degeneration is progressing, an encouraging result for future research aimed at enhancing the light sensitivity of residual cones to restore vision in patients with genetically inherited retinal degeneration.

Late gene therapy limits the restoration of retinal function in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited photoreceptor degeneration that begins with rod loss followed by cone loss and eventual blindness. Gene therapies are being developed, but it is unknown how retinal function depends on the time of intervention. To uncover this dependence, we utilized a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa capable of artificial genetic rescue. This model enables a benchmark of best-case gene therapy by removing the variables that complicate the ability to answer this vital question. Complete genetic rescue was performed at 25%, 50%, and 70% rod loss (early, mid and late, respectively). Early and mid treatment restored retinal function to near wild-type levels, specifically the sensitivity and signal fidelity of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the 'output' neurons of the retina. However, some anatomical defects persisted. Late treatment retinas exhibited continued, albeit slowed, loss of sensitivity and signal fidelity among RGCs, as well as persistent gliosis. We conclude that gene replacement therapies delivered after 50% rod loss are unlikely to restore visual function to normal. This is critical information for administering gene therapies to rescue vision.

Robust cone-mediated signaling persists late into rod photoreceptor degeneration

Rod photoreceptor degeneration causes deterioration in the morphology and physiology of cone photoreceptors along with changes in retinal circuits. These changes could diminish visual signaling at cone-mediated light levels, thereby limiting the efficacy of treatments such as gene therapy for rescuing normal, cone-mediated vision. However, the impact of progressive rod death on cone-mediated signaling remains unclear. To investigate the fidelity of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) signaling throughout disease progression, we used a mouse model of rod degeneration (Cngb1neo/neo). Despite clear deterioration of cone morphology with rod death, cone-mediated signaling among RGCs remained surprisingly robust: spatiotemporal receptive fields changed little and the mutual information between stimuli and spiking responses was relatively constant. This relative stability held until nearly all rods had died and cones had completely lost well-formed outer segments. Interestingly, RGC information rates were higher and more stable for natural movies than checkerboard noise as degeneration progressed. The main change in RGC responses with photoreceptor degeneration was a decrease in response gain. These results suggest that gene therapies for rod degenerative diseases are likely to prolong cone-mediated vision even if there are changes to cone morphology and density.

A hyperpolarizing rod bipolar cell in the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marinus

Retinal bipolar cells receive direct input from rod and cone photoreceptors and send axons into the inner retina, synapsing onto amacrine and ganglion cells. Bipolar cell responses can be either depolarizing (ON) or hyperpolarizing (OFF); in lower vertebrates, bipolar cells receive mixed rod and cone input, whereas in mammals, input is mostly segregated into 14 classes of cone ON and OFF cells and a single rod ON bipolar cell. We show that lamprey, like mammals, have rod bipolar cells with little or no cone input, but these cells are OFF rather than ON. They have a characteristic morphology and a spectral sensitivity nearly indistinguishable from that of rod photoreceptors. In background light known to saturate rods, rod bipolar cells are also saturated and cannot respond to increment flashes. Our results suggest that early vertebrate progenitors of both agnathans and gnathostomes may have had a more fluid retinal organization than previously thought.

Separate ON and OFF pathways in vertebrate vision first arose during the Cambrian

Ellis et al. show that retinal ON and OFF bipolar cells, and the novel metabotropic glutamate receptors of ON bipolar-cell dendrites, are both present in lamprey. They conclude that the fundamental organizing principle of separate ON and OFF pathways first appeared in the vertebrate visual system over 500 million years ago in the late Cambrian.

Pupillary light reflex of lamprey Petromyzon marinus

The discoveries of the photopigment melanopsin and intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) have revealed novel mechanisms of light detection now known to control several kinds of non-image-forming vision, including regulation of mood, the circadian rhythm, and the pupillary light reflex (PLR). These remarkable discoveries have been made mostly on mammals, but many vertebrates express melanopsin and adjust the diameter of the pupil to the ambient light intensity to extend the operating range of vision and reduce spherical aberration¹. We were curious to know whether a PLR controlled by melanopsin is also present in lamprey, which are members of the only remaining group of jawless vertebrates (agnathans) which diverged from all other vertebrates about 500 million years ago². We now show that lamprey have a robust PLR mediated by melanopsin apparently without any contribution from signals of rods and cones, suggesting that non-image-forming perception emerged long before the radiation of present vertebrate lines and was already present in the late Cambrian.

Energy Shortage in Human and Mouse Models of SLC4A11-Associated Corneal Endothelial Dystrophies

Purpose

To elucidate the molecular events in solute carrier family 4 member 11 (SLC4A11)-deficient corneal endothelium that lead to the endothelial dysfunction that characterizes the dystrophies associated with SLC4A11 mutations, congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED) and Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy 4.

Methods

Comparative transcriptomic analysis (CTA) was performed in primary human corneal endothelial cells (pHCEnC) and murine corneal endothelial cells (MCEnC) with normal and reduced levels of SLC4A11 (SLC4A11 KD pHCEnC) and Slc4a11 (Slc4a11^−/− MCEnC), respectively. Validation of differentially expressed genes was performed using immunofluorescence staining of CHED corneal endothelium, as well as western blot and quantitative PCR analysis of SLC4A11 KD pHCEnC and Slc4a11^−/− MCEnC. Functional analyses were performed to investigate potential functional changes associated with the observed transcriptomic alterations.

Results

CTA revealed inhibition of cell metabolism and ion transport function as well as mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production, in SLC4A11 KD pHCEnC and Slc4a11^−/− MCEnC. Co-localization of SNARE protein STX17 with mitochondria marker COX4 was observed in CHED corneal endothelium, as was activation of AMPK–p53/ULK1 in both SLC4A11 KD pHCEnC and Slc4a11^−/− MCEnC, providing additional evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy. Reduced Na⁺-dependent HCO₃⁻ transport activity and altered NH₄Cl-induced membrane potential changes were observed in Slc4a11^−/− MCEnC.

Conclusions

Reduced steady-state ATP levels and subsequent activation of the AMPK–p53 pathway provide a link between the metabolic functional deficit and transcriptome alterations, as well as evidence of insufficient ATP to maintain the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase corneal endothelial pump as the cause of the edema that characterizes SLC4A11-associated corneal endothelial dystrophies.

LRR-ning the Rules: Synapse Organization in the Primary Rod Pathway

In this issue of Neuron, Sinha et al. (2020) demonstrate that synaptic organization at rod bipolar cell terminals is regulated by a leucine-rich repeat protein, LRRTM4. LRRTM4 is expressed specifically by rod bipolar cells; eliminating it in mouse retina perturbs the organization of synaptic ribbons and impairs the function of inhibitory synapses.

Diminished Cone Sensitivity in cpfl3 Mice Is Caused by Defective Transducin Signaling

Purpose

Cone photoreceptor function loss 3 (Gnat2cpfl3/cpfl3 or cpfl3) is a mouse model commonly used as a functional cones null from a naturally occurring mutation in the α-subunit of cone transducin (Gnat2). We nevertheless detected robust cone-mediated light responses from cpfl3 animals, which we now explore.

Methods

Recordings were made from whole retina and from identified cones with whole-cell patch clamp in retinal slices. Relative levels of GNAT2 protein and numbers of cones in isolated retinas were compared between cpfl3, rod transducin knockout (Gnat1-/-), cpfl3/Gnat1-/- double mutants, and control C57Bl/6J age-matched mice at 4, 9, and 14 weeks of age.

Results

Cones from cpfl3 and cpfl3/Gnat1-/- mice 2 to 3 months of age displayed normal dark currents but greatly reduced sensitivity and amplification constants. Responses decayed more slowly than in control (C57Bl/6J) mice, indicating an altered mechanism of inactivation. At dim light intensities rod responses could be recorded from cpfl3 cones, indicating intact rod/cone gap junctions. The cpfl3 and cpfl3/Gnat1-/- mice express two-fold less GNAT2 protein compared with C57 at 4 weeks, and a four-fold decrease by 14 weeks. This is accompanied by a small decrease in the number of cones.

Conclusions

Cplf3 cones can respond to light with currents of normal amplitude and cannot be assumed to be a Gnat2 null. The decreased sensitivity and amplification rate of cones is not explained by a reduction in GNAT2 protein level, but instead by abnormal interactions of the mutant transducin with rhodopsin and the effector molecule, cGMP phosphodiesterase.

Membrane conductances of mouse cone photoreceptors

Vertebrate photoreceptor cells respond to light through a closure of CNG channels located in the outer segment. Multiple voltage-sensitive channels in the photoreceptor inner segment serve to transform and transmit the light-induced outer-segment current response. Despite extensive studies in lower vertebrates, we do not know how these channels produce the photoresponse of mammalian photoreceptors. Here we examined these ionic conductances recorded from single mouse cones in unlabeled, dark-adapted retinal slices. First, we show measurements of the voltage dependence of the light response. After block of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, the light-dependent current was nearly linear within the physiological range of voltages with constant chord conductance and a reversal potential similar to that previously determined in lower vertebrate photoreceptors. At a dark resting membrane potential of -45 mV, cones maintain a standing Ca2+ current (iCa) between 15 and 20 pA. We characterized the time and voltage dependence of iCa and a calcium-activated anion channel. After constitutive closure of the CNG channels by the nonhydrolysable analogue GTP-γ-S, we observed a light-dependent increase in iCa followed by a Ca2+-activated K+ current, both probably the result of feedback from horizontal cells. We also recorded the hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) conductance (ih) and measured its current-voltage relationship and reversal potential. With small hyperpolarizations, ih activated with a time constant of 25 ms; activation was speeded with larger hyperpolarizations. Finally, we characterized two voltage-gated K+-conductances (iK). Depolarizing steps beginning at -10 mV activated a transient, outwardly rectifying iK blocked by 4-AP and insensitive to TEA. A sustained iK isolated through subtraction was blocked by TEA but was insensitive to 4-AP. The sustained iK had a nearly linear voltage dependence throughout the physiological voltage range of the cone. Together these data constitute the first comprehensive study of the channel conductances of mouse photoreceptors.

Voltage-clamp recordings of light responses from wild-type and mutant mouse cone photoreceptors

We describe the first extensive study of voltage-clamp current responses of cone photoreceptors in unlabeled, dark-adapted mouse retina using only the position and appearance of cone somata as a guide. Identification was confirmed from morphology after dye filling. Photocurrents recorded from wild-type mouse cones were biphasic with a fast cone component and a slower rod component. The rod component could be eliminated with dim background light and was not present in mouse lines lacking the rod transducin-α subunit (Gnat1-/- ) or connexin 36 (Cx36-/- ). Cones from Gnat1-/- or Cx36-/- mice had resting membrane potentials between -45 and -55 mV, peak photocurrents of 20-25 picoamps (pA) at a membrane potential Vm = -50 mV, sensitivities 60-70 times smaller than rods, and a total membrane capacitance two to four times greater than rods. The rate of activation (amplification constant) was largely independent of the brightness of the flash and was 1-2 s-2, less than half that of rods. The role of Ca2+-dependent transduction modulation was investigated by recording from cones in mice lacking rod transducin (Gnat1), recoverin, and/or the guanylyl-cyclase-activating proteins (GCAPs). In confirmation of previous results, responses of Gnat1-/- ;Gcaps-/- cones and triple-mutant Gnat1-/- ;Gcaps-/- ;Rv-/- cones recovered more slowly both to light flashes and steps and were more sensitive than cones expressing the GCAPs. Cones from all four mouse lines showed significant recovery and escaped saturation even in bright background light. This recovery occurred too rapidly to be caused by pigment bleaching or metaII decay and appears to reflect some modulation of response inactivation in addition to those produced by recoverin and the GCAPs. Our experiments now make possible a more detailed understanding of the cellular physiology of mammalian cone photoreceptors and the role of conductances in the inner and outer segment in producing cone light responses.

Light-Driven Regeneration of Cone Visual Pigments through a Mechanism Involving RGR Opsin in Müller Glial Cells

While rods in the mammalian retina regenerate rhodopsin through a well-characterized pathway in cells of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), cone visual pigments are thought to regenerate in part through an additional pathway in Müller cells of the neural retina. The proteins comprising this intrinsic retinal visual cycle are unknown. Here, we show that RGR opsin and retinol dehydrogenase-10 (Rdh10) convert all-trans-retinol to 11-cis-retinol during exposure to visible light. Isolated retinas from Rgr+/+ and Rgr-/- mice were exposed to continuous light, and cone photoresponses were recorded. Cones in Rgr-/- retinas lost sensitivity at a faster rate than cones in Rgr+/+ retinas. A similar effect was seen in Rgr+/+ retinas following treatment with the glial cell toxin, α-aminoadipic acid. These results show that RGR opsin is a critical component of the Müller cell visual cycle and that regeneration of cone visual pigment can be driven by light.

Rod and cone interactions in the retina

We have long known that rod and cone signals interact within the retina and can even contribute to color vision, but the extent of these influences has remained unclear. New results with more powerful methods of RNA expression profiling, specific cell labeling, and single-cell recording have provided greater clarity and are showing that rod and cone signals can mix at virtually every level of signal processing. These interactions influence the integration of retinal signals and make an important contribution to visual perception.

LRIT1 Modulates Adaptive Changes in Synaptic Communication of Cone Photoreceptors

Cone photoreceptors scale dynamically the sensitivity of responses to maintain responsiveness across wide range of changes in luminance. Synaptic changes contribute to this adaptation, but how this process is coordinated at the molecular level is poorly understood. Here, we report that a cell adhesion-like molecule, LRIT1, is enriched selectively at cone photoreceptor synapses where it engages in a trans-synaptic interaction with mGluR6, the principal receptor in postsynaptic ON-bipolar cells. The levels of LRIT1 are regulated by the neurotransmitter release apparatus that controls photoreceptor output. Knockout of LRIT1 in mice increases the sensitivity of cone synaptic signaling while impairing its ability to adapt to background light without overtly influencing the morphology or molecular composition of photoreceptor synapses. Accordingly, mice lacking LRIT1 show visual deficits under conditions requiring temporally challenging discrimination of visual signals in steady background light. These observations reveal molecular mechanisms involved in scaling synaptic communication in the retina.

Behavioural and physiological limits to vision in mammals

Human vision is exquisitely sensitive-a dark-adapted observer is capable of reliably detecting the absorption of a few quanta of light. Such sensitivity requires that the sensory receptors of the retina, rod photoreceptors, generate a reliable signal when single photons are absorbed. In addition, the retina must be able to extract this information and relay it to higher visual centres under conditions where very few rods signal single-photon responses while the majority generate only noise. Critical to signal transmission are mechanistic optimizations within rods and their dedicated retinal circuits that enhance the discriminability of single-photon responses by mitigating photoreceptor and synaptic noise. We describe behavioural experiments over the past century that have led to the appreciation of high sensitivity near absolute visual threshold. We further consider mechanisms within rod photoreceptors and dedicated rod circuits that act to extract single-photon responses from cellular noise. We highlight how these studies have shaped our understanding of brain function and point out several unresolved questions in the processing of light near the visual threshold.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'.

The Transduction Cascade in Retinal ON-Bipolar Cells: Signal Processing and Disease

Our robust visual experience is based on the reliable transfer of information from our photoreceptor cells, the rods and cones, to higher brain centers. At the very first synapse of the visual system, information is split into two separate pathways, ON and OFF, which encode increments and decrements in light intensity, respectively. The importance of this segregation is borne out in the fact that receptive fields in higher visual centers maintain a separation between ON and OFF regions. In the past decade, the molecular mechanisms underlying the generation of ON signals have been identified, which are unique in their use of a G-protein signaling cascade. In this review, we consider advances in our understanding of G-protein signaling in ON-bipolar cell (BC) dendrites and how insights about signaling have emerged from visual deficits, mostly night blindness. Studies of G-protein signaling in ON-BCs reveal an intricate mechanism that permits the regulation of visual sensitivity over a wide dynamic range.

The Auxiliary Calcium Channel Subunit α2δ4 Is Required for Axonal Elaboration, Synaptic Transmission, and Wiring of Rod Photoreceptors

Neural circuit wiring relies on selective synapse formation whereby a presynaptic release apparatus is matched with its cognate postsynaptic machinery. At metabotropic synapses, the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are poorly understood. In the mammalian retina, rod photoreceptors form selective contacts with rod ON-bipolar cells by aligning the presynaptic voltage-gated Ca2+ channel directing glutamate release (CaV1.4) with postsynaptic mGluR6 receptors. We show this coordination requires an extracellular protein, α2δ4, which complexes with CaV1.4 and the rod synaptogenic mediator, ELFN1, for trans-synaptic alignment with mGluR6. Eliminating α2δ4 in mice abolishes rod synaptogenesis and synaptic transmission to rod ON-bipolar cells, and disrupts postsynaptic mGluR6 clustering. We further find that in rods, α2δ4 is crucial for organizing synaptic ribbons and setting CaV1.4 voltage sensitivity. In cones, α2δ4 is essential for CaV1.4 function, but is not required for ribbon organization, synaptogenesis, or synaptic transmission. These findings offer insights into retinal pathologies associated with α2δ4 dysfunction.

Voltage-sensitive conductances increase the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following pigment bleaching

KEY POINTS

Following substantial bleaching of the visual pigment, the desensitization of the rod photovoltage is not as substantial as the desensitization of the rod outer segment photocurrent. The block of cation conductances during the internal dialysis of Cs⁺ further desensitizes the photovoltage thereby eliminating its difference in desensitization with the rod outer segment photocurrent. Bleached visual pigment produced an acceleration of the rod photovoltage with respect to the outer segment photocurrent, which is eliminated upon internal dialysis of Cs⁺ .

ABSTRACT

A majority of our visual experience occurs during the day when a substantial fraction of the visual pigment in our photoreceptor cells is bleached. Under these conditions it is widely believed that rods are saturated and do not contribute substantially to downstream signalling. However, behavioural experiments on subjects with only rod function reveals that these individuals unexpectedly retain substantial vision in daylight. We sought to understand this discrepancy by characterizing the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following exposure to bright bleaching light. Measurements of the rod outer segment photocurrent in transgenic mice, which have only rod function, revealed the well-studied reduction in the sensitivity of rod photoresponses following pigment bleaching. However, membrane voltage measurements showed that the desensitization of the photovoltage was considerably less than that of the outer segment photocurrent following equivalent pigment bleaching. This discrepancy was largely eliminated during the blockade of cation channels due to the internal dialysis of Cs⁺ , which increased the bleach-induced desensitization of the photovoltage and slowed its temporal characteristics. Thus, sensitization of the photovoltage by rod inner segment conductances appears to extend the operating range of rod phototransduction following pigment bleaching.

Why are rods more sensitive than cones?

One hundred and fifty years ago Max Schultze first proposed the duplex theory of vision, that vertebrate eyes have two types of photoreceptor cells with differing sensitivity: rods for dim light and cones for bright light and colour detection. We now know that this division is fundamental not only to the photoreceptors themselves but to the whole of retinal and visual processing. But why are rods more sensitive, and how did the duplex retina first evolve? Cells resembling cones are very old, first appearing among cnidarians; the emergence of rods was a key step in the evolution of the vertebrate eye. Many transduction proteins have different isoforms in rods and cones, and others are expressed at different levels. Moreover rods and cones have a different anatomy, with only rods containing membranous discs enclosed by the plasma membrane. These differences must be responsible for the difference in absolute sensitivity, but which are essential? Recent research particularly expressing cone proteins in rods or changing the level of expression seem to show that many of the molecular differences in the activation and decay of the response may have each made a small contribution as evolution proceeded stepwise with incremental increases in sensitivity. Rod outer-segment discs were not essential and developed after single-photon detection. These experiments collectively provide a new understanding of the two kinds of photoreceptors and help to explain how gene duplication and the formation of rod-specific proteins produced the duplex retina, which has remained remarkably constant in physiology from amphibians to man.

Mechanism for Selective Synaptic Wiring of Rod Photoreceptors into the Retinal Circuitry and Its Role in Vision

In the retina, rod and cone photoreceptors form distinct connections with different classes of downstream bipolar cells. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for their selective connectivity are unknown. Here we identify a cell-adhesion protein, ELFN1, to be essential for the formation of synapses between rods and rod ON-bipolar cells in the primary rod pathway. ELFN1 is expressed selectively in rods where it is targeted to the axonal terminals by the synaptic release machinery. At the synapse, ELFN1 binds in trans to mGluR6, the postsynaptic receptor on rod ON-bipolar cells. Elimination of ELFN1 in mice prevents the formation of synaptic contacts involving rods, but not cones, allowing a dissection of the contributions of primary and secondary rod pathways to retinal circuit function and vision. We conclude that ELFN1 is necessary for the selective wiring of rods into the primary rod pathway and is required for high sensitivity of vision.

Sensitivity and kinetics of signal transmission at the first visual synapse differentially impact visually-guided behavior

In the retina, synaptic transmission between photoreceptors and downstream ON-bipolar neurons (ON-BCs) is mediated by a GPCR pathway, which plays an essential role in vision. However, the mechanisms that control signal transmission at this synapse and its relevance to behavior remain poorly understood. In this study we used a genetic system to titrate the rate of GPCR signaling in ON-BC dendrites by varying the concentration of key RGS proteins and measuring the impact on transmission of signal between photoreceptors and ON-BC neurons using electroretinography and single cell recordings. We found that sensitivity, onset timing, and the maximal amplitude of light-evoked responses in rod- and cone-driven ON-BCs are determined by different RGS concentrations. We further show that changes in RGS concentration differentially impact visually guided-behavior mediated by rod and cone ON pathways. These findings illustrate that neuronal circuit properties can be modulated by adjusting parameters of GPCR-based neurotransmission at individual synapses.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06358.001

At the back of the eye, a structure called the retina contains several types of cell that convert light into the electrical signals that the brain interprets to produce vision. Cells called rods and cones detect the light, and then signal to other neurons in the retina that relay this information to the brain. Rods and cones are specialized to respond best to different visual features: cones detect color and can track rapid movement; whereas rods are more sensitive to low light levels and so enable night vision.

All rods and cones communicate with particular types of neuron called an ‘ON bipolar cell’: rods send their information to rod-specific ON bipolar cells and cones to cone ON-bipolar cells. To maintain the differences in how visual features are detected, the signals sent by the rod or cone cells need to be tuned separately. Previous studies showed that bipolar cells rely on the action of proteins called RGSs to control how information is passed from rods and cones to ON bipolar cells. However, how the RGS proteins produce their effects is not well understood, and neither is their impact on vision or behavior.

Sarria et al. used a genetic approach to create mice that progressively lost RGS proteins from their retina over the course of several weeks. Recording the nerve impulses produced by the bipolar cells as light shone on the retina revealed that RGS depletion affects these neurons in three ways: how sensitive they are to the signals sent by the rod and cone cells, how quickly they respond to a signal, and the size of the electrical response that they produce.

Sarria et al. then investigated how these changes affected the behavior of the mice. To test the response of the rod cells, the mice performed tasks in dim light. This revealed that it was only when the sensitivity of the bipolar cells decreased that the mice performed worse. However, in a task involving fast-moving objects that investigated the response of cone cells, only changes to the speed of the response affected vision. Therefore, the RGS protein has different effects on the signals from rod cells and cone cells. These findings will be useful for understanding how different light sensitive cells in the retina communicate their signals to extract important visual features, allowing us to both see well at night and track rapid changes in scenery on a bright sunny day.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06358.002

Apoptosis regulates ipRGC spacing necessary for rods and cones to drive circadian photoentrainment

The retina consists of ordered arrays of individual types of neurons for processing vision. Here, we show that such order is necessary for intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) to function as irradiance detectors. We found that during development, ipRGCs undergo proximity-dependent Bax-mediated apoptosis. Bax mutant mice exhibit disrupted ipRGC spacing and dendritic stratification with an increase in abnormally localized synapses. ipRGCs are the sole conduit for light input to circadian photoentrainment, and either their melanopsin-based photosensitivity or ability to relay rod/cone input is sufficient for circadian photoentrainment. Remarkably, the disrupted ipRGC spacing does not affect melanopsin-based circadian photoentrainment but severely impairs rod/cone-driven photoentrainment. We demonstrate reduced rod/cone-driven cFos activation and electrophysiological responses in ipRGCs, suggesting that impaired synaptic input to ipRGCs underlies the photoentrainment deficits. Thus, for irradiance detection, developmental apoptosis is necessary for the spacing and connectivity of ipRGCs that underlie their functioning within a neural network.

Physiological response of normal and RD mouse retinal ganglion cells to electrical stimulation

The epiretinal prosthesis aims to restore functional vision by stimulating electrically the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in patients afflicted with degenerative diseases that affect the photoreceptors, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). As degeneration progresses, photoreceptor death is followed by pronounced remodeling and rewiring of remaining inner retinal cells. Despite the loss of rods and cones, a considerable population of RGCs remain receptive to prosthetic stimulation. To stimulate effectively a localized population of RGCs, an improved understanding of the anatomical and physiological properties of these cells is required. Additionally, possible alterations in electrical excitability, produced by the effects of retinal degeneration, needs to be assessed. This study investigates the effect of RGC soma size on the threshold for action potential generation in normal and rd mice and its implications for the rescue of visual function.

Functional comparison of rod and cone Gα(t) on the regulation of light sensitivity

The signaling cascades mediated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) exhibit a wide spectrum of spatial and temporal response properties to fulfill diverse physiological demands. However, the mechanisms that shape the signaling response of the GPCR are not well understood. In this study, we replaced cone transducin α (cTα) for rod transducin α (rTα) in rod photoreceptors of transgenic mice, which also express S opsin, to evaluate the role of Gα subtype on signal amplification from different GPCRs in the same cell; such analysis may explain functional differences between retinal rod and cone photoreceptors. We showed that ectopically expressed cTα 1) forms a heterotrimeric complex with rod Gβ(1)γ(1), 2) substitutes equally for rTα in generating photoresponses initiated by either rhodopsin or S-cone opsin, and 3) exhibited similar light-activated translocation as endogenous rTα in rods and endogenous cTα in cones. Thus, rTα and cTα appear functionally interchangeable. Interestingly, light sensitivity appeared to correlate with the concentration of cTα when expression is reduced below 35% of normal. However, quantification of endogenous cTα concentration in cones showed a higher level to rTα in rods. Thus, reduced sensitivity in cones cannot be explained by reduced coupling efficiency between the GPCR and G protein or a lower concentration of G protein in cones versus rods.

Physiological response of mouse retinal ganglion cells to electrical stimulation: effect of soma size

An epiretinal prosthesis aims to restore functional vision by stimulating electrically the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in patients affected by photoreceptor degenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). During retinal degeneration, photoreceptor death is followed by pronounced remodeling and rewiring of inner retinal cells. Despite these changes, a considerable population of RGCs remain receptive to prosthetic stimulation. To target selectively a localized subset of RGCs, an improved understanding of the anatomical and physiological properties of these cells is required. Additionally, potential alterations in electrical excitability produced by the retinal degeneration needs to be assessed. This study investigates the effect of RGC soma size on the threshold for action potential (spike) generation and its implications for the rescue of visual function.

Dark-adapted response threshold of OFF ganglion cells is not set by OFF bipolar cells in the mouse retina

The nervous system frequently integrates parallel streams of information to encode a broad range of stimulus strengths. In mammalian retina it is generally believed that signals generated by rod and cone photoreceptors converge onto cone bipolar cells prior to reaching the retinal output, the ganglion cells. Near absolute visual threshold a specialized mammalian retinal circuit, the rod bipolar pathway, pools signals from many rods and converges on depolarizing (AII) amacrine cells. However, whether subsequent signal flow to OFF ganglion cells requires OFF cone bipolar cells near visual threshold remains unclear. Glycinergic synapses between AII amacrine cells and OFF cone bipolar cells are believed to relay subsequently rod-driven signals to OFF ganglion cells. However, AII amacrine cells also make glycinergic synapses directly with OFF ganglion cells. To determine the route for signal flow near visual threshold, we measured the effect of the glycine receptor antagonist strychnine on response threshold in fully dark-adapted retinal cells. As shown previously, we found that response threshold for OFF ganglion cells was elevated by strychnine. Surprisingly, strychnine did not elevate response threshold in any subclass of OFF cone bipolar cell. Instead, in every OFF cone bipolar subclass strychnine suppressed tonic glycinergic inhibition without altering response threshold. Consistent with this lack of influence of strychnine, we found that the dominant input to OFF cone bipolar cells in darkness was excitatory and the response threshold of the excitatory input varied by subclass. Thus, in the dark-adapted mouse retina, the high absolute sensitivity of OFF ganglion cells cannot be explained by signal transmission through OFF cone bipolar cells.

Visual threshold is set by linear and nonlinear mechanisms in the retina that mitigate noise: how neural circuits in the retina improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the single-photon response

In sensory biology, a major outstanding question is how sensory receptor cells minimize noise while maximizing signal to set the detection threshold. This optimization could be problematic because the origin of both the signals and the limiting noise in most sensory systems is believed to lie in stimulus transduction. Signal processing in receptor cells can improve the signal-to-noise ratio. However, neural circuits can further optimize the detection threshold by pooling signals from sensory receptor cells and processing them using a combination of linear and nonlinear filtering mechanisms. In the visual system, noise limiting light detection has been assumed to arise from stimulus transduction in rod photoreceptors. In this context, the evolutionary optimization of the signal-to-noise ratio in the retina has proven critical in allowing visual sensitivity to approach the limits set by the quantal nature of light. Here, we discuss how noise in the mammalian retina is mitigated to allow for highly sensitive night vision.

Coordinated control of sensitivity by two splice variants of Gα(o) in retinal ON bipolar cells

The high sensitivity of scotopic vision depends on the efficient retinal processing of single photon responses generated by individual rod photoreceptors. At the first synapse in the mammalian retina, rod outputs are pooled by a rod “ON” bipolar cell, which uses a G-protein signaling cascade to enhance the fidelity of the single photon response under conditions where few rods absorb light. Here we show in mouse rod bipolar cells that both splice variants of the G_o α subunit, Gα_o1 and Gα_o2, mediate light responses under the control of mGluR6 receptors, and their coordinated action is critical for maximizing sensitivity. We found that the light response of rod bipolar cells was primarily mediated by Gα_o1, but the loss of Gα_o2 caused a reduction in the light sensitivity. This reduced sensitivity was not attributable to the reduction in the total number of G_o α subunits, or the altered balance of expression levels between the two splice variants. These results indicate that Gα_o1 and Gα_o2 both mediate a depolarizing light response in rod bipolar cells without occluding each other’s actions, suggesting they might act independently on a common effector. Thus, Gα_o2 plays a role in improving the sensitivity of rod bipolar cells through its action with Gα_o1. The coordinated action of two splice variants of a single Gα may represent a novel mechanism for the fine control of G-protein activity.

Patch clamp recordings from mouse retinal neurons in a dark-adapted slice preparation

Our visual experience is initiated when the visual pigment in our retinal photoreceptors absorbs photons of light energy and initiates a cascade of intracellular events that lead to closure of cyclic-nucleotide-gated channels in the cell membrane. The resulting change in membrane potential leads in turn to reductions in the amount of neurotransmitter release from both rod and cone synaptic terminals. To measure how the light-evoked change in photoreceptor membrane potential leads to downstream activity in the retina, scientists have made electrophysiological recordings from retinal slice preparations for decades. In the past these slices have been cut manually with a razor blade on retinal tissue that is attached to filter paper; in recent years another method of slicing has been developed whereby retinal tissue is embedded in low gelling temperature agar and sliced in cool solution with a vibrating microtome. This preparation produces retinal slices with less surface damage and very robust light-evoked responses. Here we document how this procedure can be done under infrared light to avoid bleaching the visual pigment.

Rod photoreceptors drive circadian photoentrainment across a wide range of light intensities

In mammals, synchronization of the circadian pacemaker in the hypothalamus is achieved through direct input from the eyes conveyed by intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs). Circadian photoentrainment can be maintained by rod and cone photoreceptors, but their functional contributions and their retinal circuits that impinge on ipRGCs are not well understood. We demonstrate in genetic mouse models lacking functional rods, or where rods are the only functional photoreceptors, that rods are solely responsible for photoentrainment at scotopic light intensities. Surprisingly, rods were also capable of driving circadian photoentrainment at photopic intensities where they were incapable of supporting a visually–guided behavior. Using animals in which cone photoreceptors were ablated, we demonstrate that rods signal through cones at high light intensities, but not low light intensities. Thus two distinct retinal circuits drive ipRGC function to support circadian photoentrainment across a wide range of light intensities.

Optimal processing of photoreceptor signals is required to maximize behavioural sensitivity

The sensitivity of receptor cells places a fundamental limit upon the sensitivity of sensory systems. For example, the signal-to-noise ratio of sensory receptors has been suggested to limit absolute thresholds in the visual and auditory systems. However, the necessity of optimally processing sensory receptor signals for behaviour to approach this limit has received less attention. We investigated the behavioural consequences of increasing the signal-to-noise ratio of the rod photoreceptor single-photon response in a transgenic mouse, the GCAPs-/- knockout. The loss of fast Ca2+ feedback to cGMP synthesis in phototransduction for GCAPs-/- mice increases the magnitude of the rod single-photon response and dark noise, with the increase in size of the single-photon response outweighing the increase in noise. Surprisingly, despite the increased rod signal-to-noise ratio, behavioural performance for GCAPs-/- mice was diminished near absolute visual threshold. We demonstrate in electrophysiological recordings that the diminished performance compared to wild-type mice is explained by poorly tuned postsynaptic processing of the rod single-photon response at the rod bipolar cell. In particular, the level of postsynaptic saturation in GCAPs-/- rod bipolar cells is not sufficient to eliminate rod noise, and degrades the single-photon response signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, it is critical for retinal processing to be optimally tuned near absolute threshold; otherwise the visual system fails to utilize fully the signals present in the rods.

Photopigment quenching is Ca2+ dependent and controls response duration in salamander L-cone photoreceptors

The time scale of the photoresponse in photoreceptor cells is set by the slowest of the steps that quench the light-induced activity of the phototransduction cascade. In vertebrate photoreceptor cells, this rate-limiting reaction is thought to be either shutoff of catalytic activity in the photopigment or shutoff of the pigment's effector, the transducin-GTP–phosphodiesterase complex. In suction pipette recordings from isolated salamander L-cones, we found that preventing changes in internal [Ca²⁺] delayed the recovery of the light response and prolonged the dominant time constant for recovery. Evidence that the Ca²⁺-sensitive step involved the pigment itself was provided by the observation that removal of Cl⁻ from the pigment's anion-binding site accelerated the dominant time constant for response recovery. Collectively, these observations indicate that in L-cones, unlike amphibian rods where the dominant time constant is insensitive to [Ca²⁺], pigment quenching rate limits recovery and provides an additional mechanism for modulating the cone response during light adaptation.

Setting the absolute threshold of vision

The performance of sensory systems in many cases is limited by the physical nature of the stimulus. For vision, the quantal nature of light limits detection by dark-adapted observers; only now are we beginning to be aware of the subtleties in the biophysical mechanisms underlying this exquisite sensitivity.

Metabolic constraints on the recovery of sensitivity after visual pigment bleaching in retinal rods

The shutoff of active intermediates in the phototransduction cascade and the reconstitution of the visual pigment play key roles in the recovery of sensitivity after the exposure to bright light in both rod and cone photoreceptors. Physiological evidence from bleached salamander rods suggests this recovery of sensitivity occurs faster at the outer segment base compared with the tip. Microfluorometric measurements of similarly bleached salamander rods demonstrate that the reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol also occurs more rapidly at the outer segment base than at the tip. The experiments reported here were designed to test the hypothesis that these two phenomena are linked, e.g., that slowed recovery of sensitivity at the tip of outer segments is rate limited by the reduction of all-trans retinal and results from a shortage of cytosolic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), the reducing agent for all-trans retinal reduction. Extracellular measurements of membrane current and sensitivity were made from isolated salamander rods under dark-adapted and bleached conditions while intracellular NADPH concentration was varied by dialysis from a micropipette attached to the inner segment. Sensitivity at the base and tip of the outer segment was assessed before and after bleaching. After exposure to a light that photoactivates 50% of the visual pigment, rods were completely insensitive for nearly 10 minutes, after which the base recovered sensitivity and responsiveness with a time constant of ∼200 seconds, but tip sensitivity recovered more slowly with a time constant of ∼680 seconds. Dialysis of 5 mM NADPH into the rod promoted an earlier recovery and eliminated the previously observed tip/base difference. Dialysis of 1.66 mM NADPH failed to eliminate the tip/base recovery difference, suggesting the steady-state NADPH concentration in rods is ∼1 mM. These results indicate the inner segment is the primary source of reducing equivalents after pigment bleaching, with the reduction of all-trans retinal to all-trans retinol playing a key step in the recovery of sensitivity.

ATP consumption by mammalian rod photoreceptors in darkness and in light

Why do vertebrates use rods and cones that hyperpolarize, when in insect eyes a single depolarizing photoreceptor can function at all light levels? We answer this question at least in part with a comprehensive assessment of ATP consumption for mammalian rods from voltages and currents and recently published physiological and biochemical data. In darkness, rods consume 10(8) ATP s(-1), about the same as Drosophila photoreceptors. Ion fluxes associated with phototransduction and synaptic transmission dominate; as in CNS, the contribution of enzymes of the second-messenger cascade is surprisingly small. Suppression of rod responses in daylight closes light-gated channels and reduces total energy consumption by >75%, but in Drosophila light opens channels and increases consumption 5-fold. Rods therefore provide an energy-efficient mechanism not present in rhabdomeric photoreceptors. Rods are metabolically less "costly" than cones, because cones do not saturate in bright light and use more ATP s(-1) for transducin activation and rhodopsin phosphorylation. This helps to explain why the vertebrate retina is duplex, and why some diurnal animals like primates have a small number of cones, concentrated in a region of high acuity.

Optimization of single-photon response transmission at the rod-to-rod bipolar synapse

Our ability to see in dim light is limited by the statistics of light absorption in rod photoreceptors and the faithful transmission of the light-evoked signals through the retina. This article reviews the physiological mechanisms at the synapse between rods and rod bipolar cells, the first relay in a pathway that mediates vision near absolute threshold.

Controlling the gain of rod-mediated signals in the Mammalian retina

Effective sensory processing requires matching the gain of neural responses to the range of signals encountered. For rod vision, gain controls operate at light levels at which photons arrive rarely at individual rods, light levels too low to cause adaptation in rod phototransduction. Under these conditions, adaptation within a conserved pathway in mammalian retina maintains sensitivity as light levels change. To relate retinal signals to behavioral work on detection at low light levels, we measured how background light affects the gain and noise of primate ganglion cells. To determine where and how gain is controlled, we tracked rod-mediated signals across the mouse retina. These experiments led to three main conclusions: (1) the primary site of adaptation at low light levels is the synapse between rod bipolar and AII amacrine cells; (2) cellular noise after the gain control is nearly independent of background intensity; and (3) at low backgrounds, noise in the circuitry, rather than rod noise or fluctuations in arriving photons, limits ganglion cell sensitivity. This work provides physiological insights into the rich history of experiments characterizing how rod vision avoids saturation as light levels increase.

Recoverin improves rod-mediated vision by enhancing signal transmission in the mouse retina

Vision in dim light requires that photons absorbed by rod photoreceptors evoke signals that reliably propagate through the retina. We investigated how a perturbation in rod physiology affects propagation of those signals in the retina and ultimately visual sensitivity. Recoverin is a protein in rods that prolongs phototransduction and enhances visual sensitivity. It is not present in neurons postsynaptic to rods, yet we found that light-evoked responses of rod bipolar and ganglion cells were shortened when measured in recoverin-deficient retinas. Unexpectedly, the effect of recoverin on postsynaptic signals could not be explained by its effect on phototransduction. Instead, it is an effect of recoverin downstream of phototransduction in rods that prolongs signal transmission and enhances visual sensitivity. An important implication of our findings is that the recovery phase of the rod photoresponse does not contribute significantly to visual sensitivity near absolute threshold.

Retinal processing near absolute threshold: from behavior to mechanism

Vision at absolute threshold is based on signals produced in a tiny fraction of the rod photoreceptors. This requires that the rods signal the absorption of single photons, and that the resulting signals are transmitted across the retina and encoded in the activity sent from the retina to the brain. Behavioral and ganglion cell sensitivity has often been interpreted to indicate that these biophysical events occur noiselessly, i.e., that vision reaches limits to sensitivity imposed by the division of light into discrete photons and occasional photon-like noise events generated in the rod photoreceptors. We argue that this interpretation is not unique and provide a more conservative view of the constraints behavior and ganglion cell experiments impose on phototransduction and retinal processing. We summarize what is known about how these constraints are met and identify some of the outstanding open issues.

Selective transmission of single photon responses by saturation at the rod-to-rod bipolar synapse

A threshold-like nonlinearity in signal transfer from mouse rod photoreceptors to rod bipolar cells dramatically improves the absolute sensitivity of the rod signals. The work described here reaches three conclusions about the mechanisms generating this nonlinearity. (1) The nonlinearity is caused primarily by saturation of the feedforward rod-to-rod bipolar synapse and not by feedback from horizontal or amacrine cells. This saturation renders the rod bipolar current insensitive to small changes in transmitter release from the rod. (2) Saturation occurs within the G protein cascade that couples receptors to channels in the rod bipolar dendrites, with little or no contribution from presynaptic mechanisms or saturation of the postsynaptic receptors. (3) Between 0.5 and 2 bipolar transduction channels are open in darkness at each synapse, compared to the approximately 30 channels open at the peak of the single photon response.

Measurement of cytoplasmic calcium concentration in the rods of wild-type and transducin knock-out mice

A 10 microm spot of argon laser light was focused onto the outer segments of intact mouse rods loaded with fluo-3, fluo-4 or fluo-5F, to estimate dark, resting free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) and changes in [Ca(2+)](i) upon illumination. Dye concentration was adjusted to preserve the normal physiology of the rod, and the laser intensity was selected to minimise bleaching of the fluorescent dye. Wild-type mouse rods illuminated continuously with laser light showed a progressive decrease in fluorescence well fitted by two exponentials with mean time constants of 154 and 540 ms. Rods from transducin alpha-subunit knock-out (Tralpha-/-) animals showed no light-dependent decline in fluorescence but exhibited an initial rapid component of fluorescence increase which could be fitted with a single exponential (tau~1-4 ms). This fluorescence increase was triggered by rhodopsin bleaching, since its amplitude was reduced by pre-exposure to bright bleaching light and its time constant decreased with increasing laser intensity. The rapid component was however unaffected by incorporation of the calcium chelator BAPTA and seemed therefore not to reflect an actual increase in [Ca(2+)](i). A similar rapid increase in fluorescence was also seen in the rods of wild-type mice just preceding the fall in fluorescence produced by the light-dependent decrease in [Ca(2+)](i). Dissociation constants were measured in vitro for fluo-3, fluo-4 and fluo-5F with and without 1 mM Mg(2+) from 20 to 37 degrees C. All three dyes showed a strong temperature dependence, with the dissociation constant changing by a factor of 3-4 over this range. Values at 37 degrees C were used to estimate absolute levels of rod [Ca(2+)](i). All three dyes gave similar values for [Ca(2+)](i) in wild-type rods of 250 +/- 20 nM in darkness and 23 +/- 2 nM after exposure to saturating light. There was no significant difference in dark [Ca(2+)](i) between wild-type and Tralpha-/- animals.