Identification of retinal neurons in a regressive rodent eye (the naked mole-rat)

The retina consists of many parallel circuits designed to maximize the gathering of important information from the environment. Each of these circuits is comprised of a number of different cell types combined in modules that tile the retina. To a subterranean animal, vision is of relatively less importance. Knowledge of how circuits and their elements are altered in response to the subterranean environment is useful both in understanding processes of regressive evolution and in retinal processing itself. We examined common cell types in the retina of the naked mole-rat, Heterocephalus glaber with immunocytochemical markers and retrograde staining of ganglion cells from optic nerve injections. The stains used show that the naked mole-rat eye has retained multiple ganglion cell types, 1-2 types of horizontal cell, rod bipolar and multiple types of cone bipolar cells, and several types of common amacrine cells. However, no labeling was found with antibodies to the dopamine-synthesizing enzyme, tyrosine hydroxylase. Although most of the well-characterized mammalian cell types are present in the regressive mole-rat eye, their structural organization is considerably less regular than in more sighted mammals. We found less precision of depth of stratification in the inner plexiform layer and also less precision in their lateral coverage of the retina. The results suggest that image formation is not very important in these animals, but that circuits beyond those required for circadian entrainment remain in place.