PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 16024061

Structural changes in the developing retina maintained in vitro.

Kjell Johansson·Berndt Ehinger
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

The present study examined the emergence of structural remodeling in explanted neonatal rat retina. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated signs of glial and neuronal remodeling after 11 days in vitro and included the activation of Müller cells, the formation of ectopic neuropil areas and sprouting of photoreceptor terminals. We also observed that cholinergic and GABA-ergic amacrine cells displayed signs of disorganized laminations. These results demonstrate that retinal culturing initiates structural changes that show morphological similarities to glial and neuronal remodeling identified in retinitis pigmentosa retinas and experimentally detached retinas.

Explore related subjects

Amacrine CellsAnimalsAnimals, NewbornNeuronal PlasticityNeuropilPhotoreceptor Cells, VertebrateRatsRetinaRetinal Cone Photoreceptor CellsRetinal DetachmentRetinal Ganglion CellsRetinitis PigmentosaTissue Culture TechniquesJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Kjell Johansson, Berndt Ehinger. 2005-07-15. Structural changes in the developing retina maintained in vitro.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2005.05.022

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2007

Diversity of glycine receptors in the mouse retina: localization of the alpha4 subunit.

Glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are the major inhibitory neurotransmitters in the retina. Approximately half of the amacrine cells release glycine at their synapses with bipolar, other amacrine, and ganglion cells. Whereas the retinal distributions of glycine receptor (GlyR) subunits alpha1, alpha2, and alpha3 have been mapped, the role of the alpha4 subunit in retinal circuitry remains unclear. A rabbit polyclonal antiserum was raised against a peptide that comprises the C-terminal 14 amino acids of the mouse GlyR alpha4 subunit. Using immunocytochemistry, we localized the alpha4 subunit in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) in brightly fluorescent puncta, which represent postsynaptically clustered GlyRs. This was shown by double-labeling sections for GlyR alpha4 and synaptic markers (bassoon, gephyrin). Double-labeling sections for GlyR alpha4 and the other GlyR alpha subunits shows that they are mostly clustered at different synapses; however, approximately 30% of the alpha4-containing synapses also express the alpha2 subunit. We also studied the pre- and postsynaptic partners at GlyR alpha4-containing synapses and found that displaced (ON-) cholinergic amacrine cells prominently expressed the alpha4 subunit. The density of GlyR alpha4-expressing synapses in wildtype, Glra1(ot/ot), and Glra3(-/-) mouse retinas did not differ significantly. Thus, there is no apparent compensation of the loss of alpha1 or alpha3 subunits by an upregulation of alpha4 subunit gene expression; however, the alpha2 subunit is moderately upregulated.

Amacrine Cells↗
PubMed2007

Multivesicular release and saturation of glutamatergic signalling at retinal ribbon synapses.

Pronounced multivesicular release (MVR) occurs at the ribbon synapses of sensory neurones that signal via graded potential changes. As MVR increases the likelihood of postsynaptic receptor saturation, it is of interest to consider how sensory synapses overcome this problem and use MVR to encode signals of widely varying intensities. Here, I discuss three postsynaptic mechanisms that permit three different retinal synapses to utilize MVR.

Amacrine Cells↗
PubMed2007

Timing and computation in inner retinal circuitry.

In the vertebrate inner retina, the second stage of the visual system, different components of the visual scene are transformed, discarded, or selected before visual information is transmitted through the optic nerve. This review discusses the connections between higher-level functions of visual processing, mathematical descriptions of the neural code, inner retinal circuitry, and visual computations. In the inner plexiform layer, bipolar cells deliver spatially and temporally filtered input to approximately ten anatomical strata. These layers receive a unique combination of excitation and inhibition, causing cells in different layers to respond with different kinetics to visual input. These distinct temporal channels interact through amacrine cells, a diverse class of inhibitory interneurons, which transmit signals within and between layers. In particular, wide-field amacrine cells transmit transient inhibition over long distances within a layer. These mechanisms and properties are combined into computations to detect the presence of differential motion and suppress the visual effects of eye movements.

Amacrine Cells↗