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The Retina

The Retina

The retina is a layer of nervous tissue at the back of the eye that transduces light into neural signals. This process, called phototransduction, is carried out by rod and cone photoreceptor cells in the back of the retina.

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SNAP25 expression in mammalian retinal horizontal cells.

Arlene A Hirano¹, Johann Helmut Brandstätter, Catherine W Morgans

¹Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA. ahirano@mednet.ucla.edu

The Journal of Comparative Neurology

|February 1, 2011

Summary

Mammalian horizontal cells express SNAP25, a key protein for vesicular release. This finding supports the mechanism of vesicular exocytosis for neurotransmitter release in the retina.

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Preparation of Horizontal Slices of Adult Mouse Retina for Electrophysiological Studies

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Published on: January 27, 2017

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Retinal Biology
Cellular Neuroscience

Background:

Horizontal cells mediate lateral interactions in the outer retina.
Mechanisms of synaptic transmission from mammalian horizontal cells are not well understood.
Vesicular γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transporter localization suggests vesicular release.

Purpose of the Study:

Investigate the presence of SNAP25, a crucial SNARE protein, in mammalian horizontal cells.
Determine if the molecular machinery for vesicular transmitter release exists in horizontal cells.

Main Methods:

Immunocytochemistry using cell type-specific markers in mouse, rat, rabbit, and monkey retinae.
Testing different commercial antibodies to SNAP25.
Double labeling with calbindin and parvalbumin antibodies.
Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to identify SNAP25 isoforms.
Pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy in rabbit retina.

Main Results:

Robust expression of SNAP25 was found in both plexiform layers of the retina.
SNAP25 and calbindin co-localization confirmed expression in horizontal cell processes and their endings at photoreceptor triad synapses across species.
SNAP25 immunoreactivity was confirmed in all horizontal cells in monkey retina using parvalbumin.
Immunoelectron microscopy verified SNAP25 presence in lateral elements within photoreceptor triad synapses.
Differential distribution patterns of SNAP25 and the presence of SNAP25a/b isoforms were identified.

Conclusions:

SNAP25 expression in mammalian horizontal cells supports a role in vesicular exocytosis.
The findings provide evidence for the molecular machinery underlying neurotransmitter release from horizontal cells.