5-HT2A receptors are differentially expressed in bullfrog and rat retinas: a comparative study

Expression of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) 2A receptor (5-HT2A) was studied in bullfrog and rat retinas by immunocytochemistry. In the bullfrog retina, 5-HT2A-immunoreactivity was observed in both the outer and inner plexiform layers (OPL and IPL). Double labeling experiments further showed that 5-HT2A was expressed in Müller cells stained by GFAP. Labeling for 5-HT2A was strong in the somata and endfeet and relatively weak in the major processes and fine branchets of Müller cells. In contrast, 5-HT2A immunoreactivity was hardly detected in the rat retina, and no rat Müller cells were labeled. Furthermore, immunocytochemical assay demonstrated that labeling for 5-HT was present in amacrine cells and displaced amacrine cells in the inner retina of bullfrog, but not in the rat retina. These results suggest that 5-HT may modulate retinal information processing via activating 5-HT2A expressed in neuronal and glial elements in bullfrog, but that such modulation is unlikely to occur in rat.