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Horizontal cells in the fish retina are electrically coupled and possess gap junctions so that intracellularly injected dye normally diffuses freely to neighbouring cells. Applied dopamine (DA) alters the spatial properties of the horizontal cell responses to light, increasing the amplitude of photopic L-type S-potentials but decreasing their lateral spread. These effects have been attributed to the action of DA on horizontal cell membrane resistance, particularly at the gap junctions, and our present study on the carp retina agrees with this in showing that DA also restricts intracellular Lucifer yellow (LY) to single injected horizontal cells, an effect, like those of DA on the S-potentials, which is antagonized by the dopamine blocker haloperidol. In addition, we present evidence that dopaminergic interplexiform cells in fish normally function to regulate the spatial properties of responses in horizontal cells, possibly acting on their junctional resistance via a DA-receptor-mediated mechanism. Previous destruction of the interplexiform cells with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) resulted in much reduced L-type S-potentials to centred lights but wider lateral spread of these responses, while the dye injected spread extensively to neighbouring cells. After 6-OHDA treatment, however, applied DA retained its normal activity, restoring large-amplitude, narrow receptive-field S-potentials and restricting LY to the injected cells, effects which were both closely mimicked by dibutyryl cyclic AMP.

Three types of light-induced response (L-, RG-, and YRB-type S-potentials) recorded from isolated retinas of the carp (Cyprinus carpio) were identified by their spectral response and later by morphological localization of the recording sites marked with an intracellular Lucifer Yellow (LY). Horizontal cells in a given layer, generating one of the above response types, are electrically coupled via gap junctions, so that the injected LY normally diffused to several neighboring cells. The spatial property of the three types of responses was examined by enlarging the diameter of a light spot (0.25 to 4.0 mm) and displacing the spot (0.5 mm diameter) along a straight 4-mm line which passed over the recording point at the middle. In normal retinas, the half-decay distance of response amplitude with spot displacement was shorter in the order of L-, RG-, and YRB-type responses, and correspondingly the dye diffusion area was narrower in the same order of cells. Dopamine (DA; 10 to 20 PM), applied to the vitreous fluid beneath the isolated retina, altered the spatial property of all types of responses by increasing the amplitude of responses to central spots and decreasing that of those to distant spots, and it restricted the intracellular LY to single injected cells. In contrast, in retinas from which DA interplexiform cells had been deprived by prior destruction with a neurotoxin, 6-hydroxydopamine, the amplitude of responses became smaller while the half-decay distance was longer by l.l-to 1.6-fold, depending upon the cell type, and the dye diffusion area in all types of cells became wider by 2-fold as compared to those in normal retinas. The results indicate that DA regulates the spatial properties of all types of horizontal cells and that there is an apparent correlation between the degrees of S-potential spread (electrical coupling) and of the dye coupling among horizontal cells in a given layer.

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