Evidence of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes found on catfish horizontal and bipolar retinal neurons

We have used electrophysiological, pharmacological and immunological techniques to determine which classes of metabotropic glutamate receptors exist on cone horizontal cells in the catfish retina. Patch-clamp recordings in acutely dissociated cone horizontal cells provide evidence that group I and III metabotropic glutamate receptors exist, and are linked to modulation of a voltage-gated calcium current. Group II metabotropic glutamate receptor agonists did not affect the calcium current. Immunocytochemical techniques were used to study the localization of metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes found in the catfish retina. Antibodies raised against group I (metabotropic glutamate receptor 1alpha, metabotropic glutamate receptor 5), group II (metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3) and group III (metabotropic glutamate receptor 6) metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes were used to label acutely dissociated horizontal, bipolar and Müller cells. Results from immunostaining provide evidence that cone horizontal cells express group I (metabotropic glutamate receptor 1alpha, metabotropic glutamate receptor 5) and group III (metabotropic glutamate receptor 6), but not group II (metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3) receptor subtypes, consistent with our electrophysiological results. Cone horizontal cells exposed to anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 1alpha, 5 or 6 antibodies all demonstrated diffuse overall staining, with patches of dark immunostaining found on both dendritic processes and cell somata. In catfish bipolar cells, all four of the anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor antibodies stained the processes and cell bodies of bipolar cells homogeneously. There was no evidence for a group of bipolar cells that did not stain with the antimetabotropic glutamate receptor antibodies, although the densest immunostaining occurred when bipolar cells were incubated with the anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 antibody. Müller cells did not show immunostaining against any anti-metabotropic glutamate receptor antibody. Our non-immune controls confirmed that immunostaining was specific for the antigen, and immunoblots were performed to demonstrate the specificity of the antibodies in catfish retina. These results support the hypothesis that group I and III metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes are found on catfish horizontal cells, and group I, II and III metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes are expressed on catfish bipolar cells. The metabotropic glutamate receptors on catfish cone horizontal cells act to modulate the voltage-gated sustained calcium current found on these cells.