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Immunochemical localization of calretinin in the retina of the turbot (Psetta maxima) during development.

The expression of the calcium-binding protein calretinin was analysed by immunohistochemistry techniques in the retina of turbot (Psetta maxima) from embryonic to juvenile stages. Calretinin immunoreactivity was first detected in retinae from newly hatched larvae, in which the anlage of the inner plexiform layer and a subset of amacrine and ganglion cells displayed a faint immunolabelling. First appearance of photoreceptors during larval life coincided with an increase in the intensity of the labelling. During subsequent larval development, the expression of calretinin affected distinctive retinal components. The inner plexiform layer, optic fiber layer, and a population of amacrine and ganglion cells were invariably labelled. Occasional bipolar cells were labelled at the end of the larval period. By metamorphosis, calretinin is sequentially expressed in horizontal cells, and bipolar immunoreactive cells become numerous. The pattern of calretinin immunoreactivity of the inner plexiform layer changes from the larval to juvenile period. In all cases, calretinin immunoreactivity exhibited variations between the peripheral retina, which contains the most recently differentiated retinal components, and the remainder of the differentiated retina. Our results suggest that the progressive expression of calretinin in the turbot retina appears associated with some degree of neuronal differentiation. Once the definitive pattern of calretinin immunoreactivity is established in the turbot retina, both similarities and differences with the calretinin location in the retina of other vertebrates can be demonstrated.

Animals↗

Immortalized retinal neurons used as immunogen for the generation of cell-specific antisera.

We have recently described a class of immortalized neurons which were derived from retinal tumors induced in PNMT-SV40 transgenic mice (TgBri59)9. These neurons possess a differentiated neuronal phenotype which includes the elaboration of extensive neurite processes and the expression of markers specific for amacrine and horizontal neurons, as well as the expression of the neurofilament triplet proteins. As these 'RT-1' neurons are derived from a restricted set of retinal neurons, they represent an enriched source of immunogen for the production of cell-specific antisera. Therefore, we have used RT-1 cell cultures to generate polyclonal antisera in rabbits. Two of these antisera have been characterized in immunocytochemical and Western blotting experiments using normal mouse and rat tissues. The antisera recognize neurons in the inner nuclear layer and particularly in the ganglion cell layer in the normal retina and cells of the adrenal medulla. These data indicate that specific cell lines derived from transgenic animals provide a rich source of antigen for the production of cell-specific antibodies. These antibodies should prove valuable for studies of retinal development and function.

Animals↗

Regional topography of rod and immunocytochemically characterized "blue" and "green" cone photoreceptors in rabbit retina.

Evidence from several sources indicates that the photoreceptors of rabbit retina include rods, green cones and blue cones, and that blue-green color opponency occurs in select retinal ganglion cells. One of us (Famiglietti) has identified wide-field cone bipolar cells as probable blue-cone-selective bipolars, and type C horizontal cells as possibly connected to blue cones. We wished to extend the analysis of blue cone pathways in rabbit retina and to characterize the topographic distribution of blue and green cones. Two monoclonal antibodies raised against chicken visual pigments are reported to label medium- and long-wavelength cones (COS-1) and short-wavelength cones (OS-2) in all mammalian retinas studied thus far (Szél and colleagues). Using selective labeling with these two antibodies and a nonselective method in nasal and temporal halves of the same retinas, we have found that densities of photoreceptors vary systematically, depending upon the size of the eye and age of the animal. In 'standard' New Zealand rabbits of 2-3 kg (2-3 months old), rods reached a peak density of about 300,000/mm2 just dorsal to the visual streak, while cones exhibit peak density at mid-visual streak of about 18,000/mm2. Published measurements of visual acuity in rabbit are less than predicted by this calculation. The ratio of cones to rods is significantly higher in ventral retina, where the density of cones declines to a plateau of 10,000-12,000/mm2, when compared to dorsal retina, where cones are uniformly distributed at a density of about 7000/mm2. The density of OS-2 labeled (presumably "blue") cones is uniformly low, 1000-1500/mm2, in a wide expanse that includes dorsal retina, the visual streak, and much of ventral retina, except for a region of higher density along the vertical midline. We confirm that there is a far ventral horizontal region near the perimeter that is populated exclusively by a high density (about 13,000/mm2) of OS-2-positive cones (Juliusson and colleagues). This region does not extend to the ventral retinal margin, however, where cone density drops precipitously. Transitional zones between COS-1 and OS-2 labeling, in a region of relatively high and uniform cone density, where sums of COS-1 and OS-2 labeling are higher than expected and in which weakly and strongly labeled cones are intermixed, raise questions about the identities of the visual pigment epitopes, the possibility of double labeling, and therefore the possibility of dual expression of pigments in single cones. The "inverted-T-shaped" topography of higher density OS-2 labeling raises doubts about the significance of a ventral concentration of blue cones for visual function in rabbit retina.

Aging↗

Contrast gain control in the lower vertebrate retinas.

Control of contrast sensitivity was studied in two kinds of retina, that of the channel catfish and that of the kissing gourami. The former preparation is dominantly monochromatic and the latter is bichromatic. Various stimuli were used, namely a large field of light, a spot-annulus configuration and two overlapping stimuli of red and green. Recordings were made from horizontal, amacrine, and ganglion cells and the results were analyzed by means of Wiener's theory, in which the kernels are the contrast (incremental) sensitivity. Modulation responses from horizontal cells are linear, in that the waveform and amplitude of the first-order kernels are independent of the depth of modulation. In the N (sustained) amacrine and ganglion cells, contrast sensitivity was low for a large modulation input and was high for a small modulation input, providing an example of contrast gain control. In most of the cells, the contrast gain control did not affect the dynamics of the response because the waveform of the first-order kernels remained unchanged when the contrast sensitivity increased more than fivefold. The signature of the second-order kernels also remained unchanged over a wide range of modulation. The increase in the contrast sensitivity for the second-order component, as defined by the amplitude of the kernels, was much larger than for the first-order component. This observation suggests that the contrast gain control proceeded the generation of the second-order nonlinearity. An analysis of a cascade of the Wiener type shows that the control of contrast sensitivity in the proximal retinal cells could be modeled by assuming the presence of a simple (static) saturation nonlinearity. Such a nonlinearity must exist somewhere between the horizontal cells and the amacrine cells. The functional implications of the contrast gain control are as follows: (a) neurons in the proximal retina exhibit greater sensitivity to input of lower contrast; (b) saturation of a neuronal response can be prevented because of the lower sensitivity for an input with large contrast, and (c) over a large range of modulation depths, the amplitude of the response remains approximately constant.

Algorithms↗

Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on cones and bipolar cells of the tiger salamander retina.

The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) system in the tiger salamander retina was studied using autoradiographic and electrophysiological techniques. A high-affinity uptake mechanism for GABA has been localized in about 60% of the horizontal cells and about 30% of the amacrine cells. Effects of exogeneously applied GABA on the membrane conductance of cones and hyperpolarizing bipolar cells (HBC) were examined using the two electrode current-clamp technique in the living retinal slices. In both cell types, 1 mM of GABA caused a conductance increase. In perfused eyecups, 2 mM of GABA selectivity abolished the surround response of the HBC and left the center response unchanged. These results are consistent with the notion that a population of horizontal cells and a population of amacrine cells in the salamander retina may use GABA as their neurotransmitter.

Ambystoma↗

Retinal target cells of the centrifugal projection from the isthmo-optic nucleus.

Although the avian retina has long been known to receive projection from a midbrain nucleus, the isthmo-optic nucleus (ION), the output of its target cells has remained obscure. We labeled the isthmo-optic (IO) terminals in the Japanese quail retina, by using anterograde transport of fluorescent tracer injected into the ION, and then labeled target cells for these terminals by means of intracellular tracer injection under direct microscopic observation. Somata of the IO target cells (IOTCs) lie in the innermost zone of the inner nuclear layer of the ventral half of the retina and have no dendrites but an axon. The axons run in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) for up to 6 mm and terminate densely in a round or elliptical terminal field, about 90-290 microm in diameter, of the outermost zone of the IPL. Longer axons (> 2 mm) extend dorsally, but shorter ones (< 1 mm) project ventrally or horizontally, so the terminals are distributed widely in both dorsal and ventral halves of the retina. The IOTCs cannot be classified into any of the five conventional major classes of retinal cells, including amacrine cells, and are thought to be "slave" neurons whose output is controlled by the neurons in the brain. Topographic separation between input to and output from the IOTCs by the axons might be essential for the overall topographic organization of the centrifugal visual system in birds.

Animals↗

Isolation and characterization of two teleost melanopsin genes and their differential expression within the inner retina and brain.

Melanopsin is a newly discovered photopigment that is believed to be involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms in tetrapods. Here we describe the characterization of the first two teleost melanopsins (opn4a and opn4b) isolated from Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). These two teleost genes belong to a subgroup of melanopsins that also include members from Xenopus, chicken, and Takifugu. In situ hybridization revealed that opn4a and opn4b are differentially expressed within the retina and brain. In the larval and adult retina, both melanopsins are expressed in a subset of cells in the inner retina, resembling amacrine and ganglion cells. In addition, opn4a is expressed in the horizontal cells, indicating a separate task for this gene. In the brain, the two melanopsins are separately expressed in two major retinal and extraretinal photosensitive integration centers, namely, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (opn4a) and the habenula (opn4b). The expression of opn4a in the suprachiasmatic nucleus in cod is similar to the melanopsin expression found in Xenopus. This suggests a conserved role for this opsin and an involvement in mediation of nonvisual photoreceptive tasks, such as entraining circadian rhythms and/or hypophysiotrophic systems. The differential expression of opn4b in the habenula suggests that this gene plays a role similar to that of opn4a, in that it is also situated in an area that integrates photic inputs from the pineal as well as other brain regions. Thus, the habenula may be an additional region that mediates photic cues in teleosts.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Complementary global maps for orientation coding in upper and lower layers of the cat striate cortex and their possible functions.

Preferred stimulus orientations of striate cortical cells in the cat were analyzed for possible isotropic or anisotropic distributions. We separated the data twice, into central (0-5 degrees) vs. peripheral subgroups and into upper vs. lower layer cells. In the central group, absolute orientations were counted; in the periphery, a radial test was adopted by normalizing the preferred stimulus orientation of a cell to the line connecting the receptive field center to the retinal center. We found that in the center, vertical and horizontal orientations are overrepresented. In the periphery, the histograms show complementary anisotropies for upper and lower layers, favoring a map for radial orientation detection in upper layers and a more concentric map for orientation detection in lower layers. These results are possibly related to the probabilities of different optic flow fields on the retina under natural conditions of stimulation. They are discussed as possible neuronal structures supporting figure-ground discrimination, the distinction of self motion from object motion, and the location of objects in three-dimensional space.

Animals↗

Distribution of retinal ganglion cells in five mammalian species (pig, sheep, ox, horse, dog).

In order to ascertain shape and location of the central area, the distribution of ganglion cells was measured in whole mounts of the retina from pig, sheep, ox, horse, and dog. Although exact comparison of corresponding points of measurement in different animals was not possible, the measurements allowed the mapping of retinal ganglion cell density, typical for the particular species. In all ungulates a streak of high cell density extends along a straight horizontal line, dorsal to the optic disc. As a rule a maximum of ganglion cell density is found close to the temporal end of the visual streak. In the dog a well demarcated oval portion of the streak continues into a short temporal (variable) and a long nasal linear arm. The functional significance of these findings is discussed.

Animals↗

Light stimulates the incorporation of inositol into phosphatidylinositol in the retina.

The incorporation of [3H]inositol into phosphatidylinositol in retinas of Xenopus laevis tadpoles or young adults in short-term organ culture is stimulated by light, compared to retinas maintained under identical conditions in darkness. Over 95% of the label incorporated into lipid was in phosphatidylinositol, and none was incorporated into retinal proteins. The stimulation of incorporation was localized by autoradiography to the outer plexiform layer, a neurophil composed primarily of horizontal cell processes.

Animals↗

Carassius RFamide, a novel FMRFa-related peptide, is produced within the retina and involved in retinal information processing in cyprinid fish.

Carassius RFamide (C-RFa) is a novel peptide, isolated originally from the brain of the Japanese crucian carp and sharing homologies with mammalian prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP). It has been demonstrated previously that C-RFa mRNA is abundant in the proximal half (fundus) of the Japanese crucian carp eye. In the present work, we localized C-RFa by immunohistochemistry mainly to perikarya, in the proximal half of the inner nuclear layer (amacrine cell layer). This distribution is different from that of FMRFamide, which is confined to axon terminals of terminal nerve efferent fibers in the inner plexiform layer. Electrophysiological recording revealed that C-RFa depolarized some amacrine cells and hyperpolarized L-type horizontal cells in the carp. These results suggest that C-RFa is produced within the cyprinid retina and functions as a transmitter or neuromodulator in retinal image processing.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Orientation bias of cat dorsal lateral geniculate cells: directional analysis of the major axis of the receptive field centre.

The receptive field centre of cells in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus were mapped as iso-sensitivity contours. 94% of the cells were found to have elliptical centres, and analysis of the major axis orientation showed that 29% and 59% of units had their major axis oriented within +/- 20 degrees of the radial and horizontal directions, respectively. The data for Y-cells showed a greater dispersion in their orientation biases (R = 0.57) compared with X-cells (R = 0.79). Nevertheless, a horizontal orientation bias was found in both classes of cells: 47% of Y-cells and 73% of X-cells. In addition, an examination of the major axis orientations was undertaken for cells with receptive field centres located along the radial direction of 35 degrees below the horizontal meridian. In this 35 degree Radial Group a horizontal bias was also confirmed. Analysis of the dispersion of major axis orientations with eccentricity from the area centralis showed a statistically significant decrease in scatter and, hence, indicated an increase in the horizontal bias with eccentricity.

Animals↗

Removal of extracellular chloride suppresses transmitter release from photoreceptor terminals in the mudpuppy retina.

Removal of extracellular Cl- has been shown to suppress light-evoked voltage responses of ON bipolar and horizontal cells, but not photoreceptors or OFF bipolar cells, in the amphibian retina. A substantial amount of experimental evidence has demonstrated that the photoreceptor transmitter, L-glutamate, activates cation, not Cl-, channels in these cells. The mechanism for Cl-free effects was therefore reexamined in a superfused retinal slice preparation from the mudpuppy (Necturus maculosus) using whole-cell voltage and current clamp techniques. In a Cl-free medium, light-evoked currents were maintained in rod and cone photoreceptors but suppressed in horizontal, ON bipolar, and OFF bipolar cells. Changes in input resistance and dark current in bipolar and horizontal cells were consistent with the hypothesis that removal of Cl- suppresses tonic glutamate release from photoreceptors. The persistence of light-evoked voltage responses in OFF bipolar cells, despite the suppression of light-evoked currents, is due to a compensatory increase in input resistance. Focal application of hyperosmotic sucrose to photoreceptor terminals produced currents in bipolar and horizontal cells arising from two sources: (a) evoked glutamate release and (b) direct actions of the hyperosmotic solution on postsynaptic neurons. The inward currents resulting from osmotically evoked release of glutamate in OFF bipolar and horizontal cells were suppressed in a Cl-free medium. For ON bipolar cells, both the direct and evoked components of the hyperosmotic response resulted in outward currents and were thus difficult to separate. However, in some cells, removal of extracellular Cl- suppressed the outward current consistent with a suppression of presynaptic glutamate release. The results of this study suggest that removal of extracellular Cl- suppresses glutamate release from photoreceptor terminals. Thus, it is possible that control of [Cl-] in and around photoreceptors may regulate glutamate release from these cells.

Animals↗

The topography of ganglion cell production in the cat's retina.

The ganglion cells of the cat's retina form several classes distinguishable in terms of soma size, axon diameter, dendritic morphology, physiological properties, and central connections. Labeling with [3H]thymidine shows that the ganglion cells which survive in the adult are produced as several temporally shifted, overlapping waves: medium-sized cells are produced before large cells, whereas the smallest ganglion cells are produced throughout the period of ganglion cell generation (Walsh, C., E. H. Polley, T. L. Hickey, and R. W. Guillery (1983) Nature 302: 611-614). Large cells and medium-sized cells show the same distinctive pattern of production, forming rough spirals around the area centralis. The oldest cells tend to lie superior and nasal to the area centralis, whereas cells in the inferior nasal retina and inferior temporal retina are, in general, progressively younger. Within each retinal quadrant, cells nearer the area centralis tend to be older than cells in the periphery, but there is substantial overlap. The retinal raphe divides the superior temporal quadrant into two zones with different patterns of cell addition. Superior temporal retina near the vertical meridian adds cells only slightly later than superior nasal retina, whereas superior temporal retina near the horizontal meridian adds cells very late, contemporaneously with inferior temporal retina. The broader wave of production of smaller ganglion cells seems to follow this same spiral pattern at its beginning and end. The presence of the area centralis as a nodal point about which ganglion cell production in the retinal quadrants pivots suggests that the area centralis is already an important retinal landmark even at the earliest stages of retinal development. This sequence of ganglion cell production differs markedly from that seen in the retinae of nonmammalian vertebrates, where new ganglion cells are added as concentric rings to the retinal periphery, and also bears no simple relationship to the cat's retinal decussation line. However, it can be related in a straightforward manner to the organization of axons in the cat's optic tract, suggesting that the fiber order in the tract represents a grouping of fibers by age.

Animals↗

Retinal projection to the olfactory tubercle and basal telencephalon in primates.

The retinal projection to the basal telencephalon was studied in eight species of primates from the suborders Strepsirhini and Haplorhini, including one anthropoid primate, the gibbon. Animals received an intraocular injection of tritiated amino acids and the distribution of retinal fibers and terminals was demonstrated by autoradiographic techniques in horizontal and coronal sections. In all species a discrete group of labeled retinal fibers is observed to branch off from the dorsolateral aspect of the optic tract at the level of the suprachiasmatic nucleus. These fibers, destined to the basal telencephalon, are topographically distinct from the retinal fibers which innervate the suprachiasmatic nucleus and medial hypothalamic regions. The fibers of the retinotelencephalic tract course dorsally above the supraoptic nucleus through the lateral hypothalamic area and then proceed further rostrally and laterally below the diagonal band of Broca towards the olfactory tubercle. Within the olfactory tubercle, terminal distribution of label is observed in the mediocaudal region along the granular cell layer II. In the macaque this cellular layer shows a characteristic thickening in the region of retinal terminals which is evident in both coronal and horizontal section. In some species this labeled region is seen within the superficial bulge of the tubercle on the ventral aspect of basal telencephalon. In all primates the retinal projection to olfactory tubercle is bilateral. In prosimians label is predominantly contralateral to the injected eye, in New World monkeys label is equally distributed on both sides of the brain and in Old World monkeys label is mainly found ipsilaterally. Retinal fibers were also seen in the periamygdaloid region but never extended as far as piriform cortex. These results, in addition to previous studies in other mammalian orders, confirm that the basal telencephalon, and in particular the olfactory tubercle, constitutes a region of visual and olfactory convergence. This sensory integration may be related to photic and chemosensory modulation of reproductive physiology and behavior.

Animals↗

A molecular phenotype atlas of the zebrafish retina.

The rasborine cyprinid Danio rerio (the zebrafish) has become a popular model of retinal function and development. Its value depends, in part, on validation of homologies with retinal cell populations of cyprinine cyprinids. This atlas provides raw and interpreted molecular phenotype data derived from computationally classified sets of small molecule signals from different cell types in the zebrafish retina: L-alanine, L-aspartate, L-glutamine, L-glutamate, glutathione, glycine, taurine and gamma-aminobutyrate. This basis set yields an 8-dimensional signature for every retinal cell and formally establishes molecular signature homologies with retinal neurons, glia, epithelia and endothelia of other cyprinids. Zebrafish photoreceptor classes have been characterized previously: we now show their metabolic profiles to be identical to those of the corresponding photoreceptors in goldfish. The inner nuclear layer is partitioned into precise horizontal, bipolar and amacrine cell layers. The horizontal cell layer contains at least three and perhaps all four known classes of cyprinine horizontal cells. Homologues of cyprinid glutamatergic ON-center and OFF-center mixed rod-cone bipolar cells are present and it appears likely that all five classes are present in zebrafish. The cone bipolar cells defy simple analysis but comprise the largest fraction of bipolar cells, as in all cyprinids. Signature analysis reveals six molecular phenotypes in the bipolar cell cohort: most are superclasses. The amacrine cell layer is composed of approximately equal 64% GABA+ and 35% glycine+ amacrine cells, with the remainder being sparse dopaminergic interplexiform cells and other rare unidentified neurons. These different amacrine cell types are completely distinct in the dark adapted retina, but light adapted retinas display weak leakage of GABA signals into many glycinergic amacrine cells, suggesting widespread heterocellular coupling. The composition of the zebrafish ganglion cell layer is metabolically indistinguishable from that in other cyprinids, and the signatures of glial and non-neuronal cells display strong homologies with those in mammals. As in most vertebrates, zebrafish Müller cells possess a high glutamine, low glutamate signature and contain the dominant pool of glutathione in the neural retina. The retinal pigmented epithelium shows a general mammalian signature but also has exceptional glutathione content (5-10 mM), perhaps required by the unusually high oxygen tensions of teleost retinas. The optic nerve and the marginal zone of the retina reveal characteristic metabolic specializations. The marginal zone is strongly laminated and its nascent neurons display their characteristic signatures before taking their place in the retina proper.

Amacrine Cells↗

Retinal projections and retinal ganglion cell distribution patterns in a sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), a non-teleost actinopterygian fish.

Retinal projections in a sturgeon were studied by injecting biocytin or HRP into the optic nerve. The target areas are the preoptic area, thalamus, area pretectalis, nucleus of posterior commissure, optic tectum, and nuclei of the accessory optic tract. Furthermore, a few labeled fibers and terminals were found in a ventrolateral area of the caudal telencephalon. All retinal projections are bilateral, although contralateral projections were more heavily labeled. Retrogradely labeled neurons were found in the ventral thalamus bilaterally. Retinal projections in sturgeons are similar to those of other non-teleost actinopterygians and chondrichthyans (sharks), in terms of the targets and extent of bilateral projections. Distribution patterns of ganglion cells in the retina were examined in Nissl-stained retinal whole mount preparations. The highest density areas were found in the temporal and nasal retinas, and a dense band of ganglion cells was observed along the horizontal axis between the nasal and temporal areas of highest density. The density of ganglion cells in the dorsal retina is the lowest. The total number of ganglion cells was estimated to be about 5 x 10(4) in a retina. The existence of a low density area in the dorsal retina suggests reduced visual acuity in the ventral visual field.

Animals↗