Distribution and developmental regulation of AMPA receptor subunit proteins in rat retina

To learn more about a possible functional role of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasole-propionate (AMPA) receptors in retinal development, the spatial distribution and temporal regulation of all AMPA receptor subunit proteins was studied in rats.

Immunohistochemistry was performed on retinal sections between embryonic days (E)20 and E21 and the adult stage by using specific antibodies against AMPA subunits GluR1 to 4.

All AMPA subunits were expressed in the ganglion cell layer from E21 on. In the inner plexiform layer (IPL), discernible bands of labeling appeared at distinct retinal ages for the different subunits. GluR1 immunoreactivity (IR) was concentrated in two broad bands by postnatal day (P)3, whereas three bands were visible beginning on P9. Two bands were located in a region of the IPL where off-cells terminate, and one band was found in the innermost part of the IPL where on-cells terminate. In contrast, two bands of GluR2/3- and GluR4-IR in the IPL were only discernible beginning on P14 and seemed to be located between the bands of GluR1-IR. GluR2/3 and GluR4 were observed both in horizontal cells and in the outer plexiform layer from early developmental stages on. GluR1 was not found in the outer retina, indicating that horizontal and bipolar cell processes in the rat express AMPA receptors composed of subunits GluR2 to 4. Double-labeling experiments with cell-specific markers revealed the expression of subunits GluR1 to 4 in cholinergic and AII amacrine cells.

AMPA receptors are expressed before synapse formation, indicating a role not only in fast signal transmission but also in the establishment of inner retinal circuits. The differences in spatial and temporal subunit expression suggest that different retinal cell types selectively express distinct types of AMPA receptors during development of the rat retina.