Histidine-like immunoreactivity in the rat retina
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Updated: Nov 1, 2026
Immunohistochemical and Calcium Imaging Methods in Wholemount Rat Retina
Published on: October 13, 2014
Y Kusakari1, S Nishikawa, S Ishiguro
1Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Purpose:
Histidine is an indispensable amino acid with an imidazole ring and it is a precursor of histamine, carnosine, and anserine. Histidine has been proposed to act as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in mammalian central nervous system (CNS), including retina. In this study, we report histidine-like immunoreactivity in the rat retina with the use of antibodies raised against histidine coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) with glutaraldehyde.
Methods:
In order to confirm the specificity of the antiserum toward histidine, immunodots were carried out. Only the histidine conjugate showed immunoreactivity. The rat retinas fixed with glutaraldehyde were used for immunocytochemistry.
Results:
Histidine immunoreactivity was identified in the ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner nuclear layer (INL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), and Müller cells of rat retina.
Conclusions:
Histidine may be a precursor of histamine in the inner retina, and Müller cells may play some role in the metabolism of histidine.
