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Cone synapses in macaque fovea: II. Dendrites of OFF midget bipolar cells exhibit Inner Densities similar to their Outer synaptic Densities in basal contacts with cone terminals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2011

STEVE HERR ,
IVY TRAN NGO ,
TERESA M. HUANG ,
KARL KLUG ,
PETER STERLING  and
STAN SCHEIN
STEVE HERR
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
IVY TRAN NGO
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
TERESA M. HUANG
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
KARL KLUG
Affiliation:
Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
PETER STERLING
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
STAN SCHEIN*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
*
*Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Stan Schein, Department of Psychology, Franz Hall, Mailcode 951563, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563. E-mail: schein@ucla.edu
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Abstract

As described in the companion paper, the synaptic terminal of a cone photoreceptor in macaque monkey makes an average of 35 or 46 basal contacts with the tips of the dendrites of its OFF midget bipolar cell. Each basal contact has one or more symmetrically thickened dense regions. These “Outer Densities,” averaging 48 or 67 in number, harbor clusters of ionotropic glutamate receptors and are ~0.8 μm (and ~1-ms diffusion time) from active zones associated with synaptic ribbons. Here, we show similarly appearing “Inner Densities,” averaging 53 or 74 in number, located more proximally on the dendrites of these OFF midget bipolar cells, ~0.4 μm inward from the tips of the dendrites and out of contact with the basal surface of the cone terminal. Compared to desmosome-like junctions, Inner Densities are closer to the terminal and are less dense and less thick. Each Inner Density is shared with another cell, the partners including diffuse bipolar cells, ON midget bipolar cells, and horizontal cells. Given the diversity of the partners, the OFF midget bipolar cells are unlikely to be in a synaptic relationship with the partners. Instead, Inner Densities are near enough to the active zones associated with synaptic ribbons to receive pulses of glutamate at concentrations effective for glutamate receptors. The role of Inner Densities is not known, but they might represent additional clusters of glutamate receptors.

Keywords

PrimatePhotoreceptorRetinaPedicleVision
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 28 , Issue 1 , January 2011 , pp. 17 - 28
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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