Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:49:17.014Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Glycine in the lizard retina: Comparison to the GABA system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2009

David M. Sherry
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY-Stony Brook, Stony Brook
Alex Micich
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY-Stony Brook, Stony Brook
Stephen Yazulla
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, SUNY-Stony Brook, Stony Brook

Abstract

Neurons likely to utilize glycine (GLY) as a neurotransmitter were identified immunocytochemically in the “all-cone” lizard retina and the basic anatomical organization of the retinal GLY and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) systems was compared. Four types of GLY-immunoreactive (GLY-IR) neurons were identified. Most GLY-IR cells were amacrine cells, which comprised at least two types. GLY-IR interplexiform cells and ganglion cells also were identified. The first GLY-IR amacrine cell type was characterized by a small pyriform soma, located distal to the border of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), and fine dendrites. Most GLY-IR amacrine cells were of this type and several subtypes may exist within this group. The second amacrine cell type was characterized by a large, distally located soma and a large descending process. This amacrine cell type showed colocalization of GLY-IR and GABA-IR and comprised about 4% of the total GLY-IR amacrine cell population.

Comparison of GLY-IR and GABA-IR on serial sections showed that GLY and GABA were present in largely separate neuronal populations. Generally, GLY-IR amacrine cells were smaller, more distally located in the inner nuclear layer and had finer dendrites than GABA-IR amacrine cells. Distribution of GLY-IR and GABA-IR in the outer plexiform layer and the inner plexiform layer differed considerably.

Based on the segregated distribution of GLY-IR and GABA-IR in the synaptic layers of the lizard retina, GLY and GABA may have fundamentally different roles in retinal processing.

Type
Research Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1993

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ammermüller, J. & Weiler, R. (1989). Correlation between electrophysiological response and morphological classes of turtle retinal amacrine cells. In Neurobiology of the Inner Retina, ed. Weiler, R. & Osborne, N.N., pp. 117132. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chun, M.H. & Wassle, H. (1989). GABA-like immunoreactivity in the cat retina: Electron microscopy. Journal of Comparative Neurology 279, 5567.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davanger, S., Ottersen, O.P. & Storm-Mathisen, J. (1991). Gluta-mate, GABA, and glycine in the human retina: An immunocytochemical investigation. Journal of Comparative Neurology 311, 483494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Djamgoz, M.B.A., Spadavecchia, L., Usai, C. & Vallerga, S. (1990). Variability of light-evoked response pattern and morphological characterization of amacrine cells in the goldfish retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 301, 171190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Eldred, W.D. & Cheung, K. (1989). Immunocytochemical localization of glycine in the retina of the turtle (Pseudemys scripta) Visual Neuroscience 2, 331338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Famiglietti, E.V. Jr, Kaneko, A. & Tachibana, M. (1977). Neuronal architecture of ON and OFF pathways to ganglion cells in carp retina. Science 198, 12671269.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalloniatis, M. & Marc, R.E. (1990). Interplexiform cells of the goldfish retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 297, 340358.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marc, R.E. (1985). The role of glycine in retinal circuitry. In Retinal Transmitters and Modulators: Models for the Brain, Vol. I., ed. Morgan, W.W., pp. 119158. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.Google Scholar
Marc, R.E. (1986). Neurochemical stratification in the IPL of the vertebrate retina. Vision Research 26, 223238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marc, R.E. (1988). The role of glycine in the mammalian retina. Progress in Retinal Research 8, 67108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marc, R.E. (1989). The anatomy of multiple GABAergic and glycinergic pathways in the innerplexiform layer of the goldfish retina. In Neurobiology of the Inner Retina, ed. Weiler, R. & Osborne, N.N., pp. 5364. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marc, R.E. & Lam, D.M.K. (1981). Glycinergic pathways in goldfish retina. Journal of Neuroscience 1, 152165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marc, R.E., Stell, W.K., Bok, D. & Lam, D.M.K. (1978). GABAegic pathways in the goldfish retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 182, 221246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Massey, S.C. (1990). Cell types using glutamate as a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina. Progress in Retinal Research 9, 399425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muller, J.F. & Marc, R.E. (1990). GABAergic and glycinergic pathways in the inner plexiform layer of the goldfish retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 291, 281304.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pourcho, R.G. & Goebel, D.J. (1987). Visualization of endogenous glycine in cat retina: An immunocytochemical study with Fab fragments. Journal of Neuroscience 7, 11891197.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pourcho, R.G. & Owczarzak, M.T. (1991 a). Connectivity of glycine immunoreactive amacrine cells in the cat retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 307, 549561.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pourcho, R.G. & Owczarzak, M.T. (1991 b). Glycine receptor immu-noreactivity is localized at amacrine synapses in cat retina. Visual Neuroscience 7, 611618.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roth, J. (1983). The colloidal gold marker system for light and electron-microscopic cytochemistry. In Techniques in Immunocytochemistry, Vol. 2, ed. Bullock, G.R. & Petrusz, P., pp. 217284. London, England: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Sherry, D.M. & Ulshafer, R.J. (1992 a). Neurotransmitter-specific identification and characterization of neurons in the all-cone retina of Anolis carolinensis, I: Gamma-aminobutyric acid. Visual Neuroscience 5, 515529.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sherry, D.M. & Ulshafer, R.J. (1992 b). Neurotransmitter-specific identification and characterization of neurons in the all-cone retina of Anolis carolinensis, II: Glutamate and aspartate. Visual Neuroscience 9, 313323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherry, D.M. & Yazulla, S. (1993). Immunofluorescent identification of endogenous neurotransmitter content in Golgi-impregnated neurons. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 46, 4148.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherry, D.M. & Yazulla, S.GABA and glycine in retinal amacrine cells: Combined Golgi impregnation and immunocytochemistry. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (London), In Press.Google Scholar
Tachibana, M. & Kaneko, A. (1984). Gamma-aminobutyric acid acts at axon terminals of turtle photoreceptors: Difference in sensitivity among cell types. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A. 81, 79617964.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teranishi, T., Negishi, K. & Kato, S. (1987). Functional and morphological correlates of amacrine cells in carp retina. Neuroscience 20, 935950.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Underwood, G. (1951). Reptilian retinas. Nature 167, 183185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wenthold, R.J., Huie, D., Altschuler, R.A. & Reeks, K.A. (1987). Glycine immunoreactivity localized in the cochlear nucleus and superior olivary complex. Neuroscience 22, 897912.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Witkovsky, P. & Stone, S. (1987). GABA and glycine modify the balance of rod and cone inputs to horizontal cells in the Xenopus retina. Experimental Biology 47, 1322.Google ScholarPubMed
Yang, C.Y. & Yazulla, S. (1988). Light-microscopic localization of putative glycinergic neurons in the larval tiger salamander retina by immunocytochemical and autoradiographical methods. Journal of Comparative Neurology 272, 343357.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yang, C.-Y., Lukasiewicz, P., Maguire, G., Werblin, F.S. & Yazulla, S. (1991). Amacrine cells in the tiger salamander retina: Morphology, physiology, and neurotransmitter identification. Journal of Comparative Neurology 312, 1932.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yazulla, S. (1986). GABAergic mechanisms in the retina. Progress in Retinal Research 5, 152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yazulla, S., Studholme, K.M. & Wu, J.-Y. (1987). GABAergic input to mbl bipolar cells in the goldfish retina. Brain Research 411, 400405.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yazulla, S. & Studholme, K.M. (1990). Multiple subtypes of glycine-immunoreactive neurons in the goldfish retina: Single- and double-label studies. Visual Neuroscience 4, 299309.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yazulla, S. & Yang, C.-Y. (1988). Colocalization of GABA- and glycine-immunoreactivities in a subset of retinal neurons in tiger salamander. Neuroscience Letters 95, 3741.CrossRefGoogle Scholar