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Genetic targeting and physiological features of VGLUT3+ amacrine cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 August 2011

WILLIAM N. GRIMES ,
REBECCA P. SEAL ,
NICHOLAS OESCH ,
ROBERT H. EDWARDS  and
JEFFREY S. DIAMOND
WILLIAM N. GRIMES
Affiliation:
Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
REBECCA P. SEAL
Affiliation:
Department of Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
NICHOLAS OESCH
Affiliation:
Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
ROBERT H. EDWARDS
Affiliation:
Departments of Physiology and Neurology, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California
JEFFREY S. DIAMOND*
Affiliation:
Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
*
†Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Dr. Jeffrey S. Diamond, Synaptic Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 35 Convent Drive, Building 35, Room 3C-1000, Bethesda, MD 20892-3701. E-mail: diamondj@ninds.nih.gov
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Abstract

Amacrine cells constitute a diverse class of interneurons that contribute to visual signal processing in the inner retina, but surprisingly, little is known about the physiology of most amacrine cell subtypes. Here, we have taken advantage of the sparse expression of vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) in the mammalian retina to target the expression of yellow fluorescent protein (YFP) to a unique population of amacrine cells using a new transgenic mouse line. Electrophysiological recordings made from YFP-positive (VGLUT3+) amacrine cells provide the first functional data regarding the active membrane properties and synaptic connections of this recently identified cell type. We found that VGLUT3+ amacrine cells receive direct synaptic input from bipolar cells via both N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) and non-NMDARs. Voltage-gated sodium channels amplified these excitatory inputs but repetitive spiking was never observed. VGLUT3+ amacrine cells responded transiently to both light increments (ON response) and decrements (OFF response); ON responses consisted exclusively of inhibitory inputs, while OFF responses comprised both excitatory and inhibitory components, although the inhibitory conductance was larger in amplitude and longer in time course. The physiological properties and anatomical features of the VGLUT3+ amacrine cells suggest that this bistratified interneuron may play a role in disinhibitory signaling and/or crossover inhibition between parallel pathways in the retina.

Keywords

InterneuronsTransgenic Cre miceSynaptic physiology
Type
Research Articles
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 28 , Issue 5 , September 2011 , pp. 381 - 392
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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