The Rod Pathway of the Microbat Retina Has Bistratified Rod Bipolar Cells and Tristratified AII Amacrine Cells

Müller, Brigitte; Butz, Elisabeth; Peichl, Leo; Haverkamp, Silke

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2072-12.2013

Cited by 16 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Similar cells were previously described for the retinas of microbats and echidnas [Young and Vaney, 1990;Müller et al, 2013]. The axons of elephant rod bipolar cells have varicosities that are mainly localized in two sublayers of the IPL, i.e., in the inner and outer margins of this layer (Fig.…”

Section: Cellular Characterization Of Newborns and Adults By Immunohisupporting

confidence: 70%

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The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

Kuhrt¹,

Bringmann²,

Härtig³

et al. 2017

Brain Behav Evol

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Elephants are precocial mammals that are relatively mature as newborns and mobile shortly after birth. To determine whether the retina of newborn elephants is capable of supporting the mobility of elephant calves, we compared the retinal structures of 2 newborn elephants (1 African and 1 Asian) and 2 adult animals of both species by immunohistochemical and morphometric methods. For the first time, we present here a comprehensive qualitative and quantitative characterization of the cellular composition of the newborn and the adult retinas of 2 elephant species. We found that the retina of elephants is relatively mature at birth. All retinal layers were well discernible, and various retinal cell types were detected in the newborns, including Müller glial cells (expressing glutamine synthetase and cellular retinal binding protein; CRALBP), cone photoreceptors (expressing S-opsin or M/L-opsin), protein kinase Cα-expressing bipolar cells, tyrosine hydroxylase-, choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-, calbindin-, and calretinin-expressing amacrine cells, and calbindin-expressing horizontal cells. The retina of newborn elephants contains discrete horizontal cells which coexpress ChAT, calbindin, and calretinin. While the overall structure of the retina is very similar between newborn and adult elephants, various parameters change after birth. The postnatal thickening of the retinal ganglion cell axons and the increase in ganglion cell soma size are explained by the increase in body size after birth, and the decreases in the densities of neuronal and glial cells are explained by the postnatal expansion of the retinal surface area. The expression of glutamine synthetase and CRALBP in the Müller cells of newborn elephants suggests that the cells are already capable of supporting the activities of photoreceptors and neurons. As a peculiarity, the elephant retina contains both normally located and displaced giant ganglion cells, with single cells reaching a diameter of more than 50 µm in adults and therefore being almost in the range of giant retinal ganglion cells found in aquatic mammals. Some of these ganglion cells are displaced into the inner nuclear layer, a unique feature of terrestrial mammals. For the first time, we describe here the occurrence of many bistratified rod bipolar cells in the elephant retina. These bistratified bipolar cells may improve nocturnal contrast perception in elephants given their arrhythmic lifestyle.

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Section: Cellular Characterization Of Newborns and Adults By Immunohisupporting

confidence: 70%

“…6b). The data suggest that the elephant retina contains bistratified rod bipolar cells, similar to the retina of microbats [Müller et al, 2013].…”

Section: Cells Of the Adult Elephant Retinamentioning

confidence: 73%

The Retina of Asian and African Elephants: Comparison of Newborn and Adult

Kuhrt¹,

Bringmann²,

Härtig³

et al. 2017

Brain Behav Evol

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“…One retina was used to cut vibratome sections using a modification of a method described by Müller and coworkers (). Retinal pieces were embedded in 5% low melting agarose (Sea Plague Agarose, Lonza, Rockland, ME) in Ames' medium and sectioned at 300 μm using a vibratome (VT1200S, Leica Microsystems, Nussloch, Germany).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of AⅡ amacrine, displaced amacrine, and bistratified ganglion cell types in human retina with antibodies against calretinin

Lee

Weltzien

Madigan

et al. 2015

J of Comparative Neurology

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Antibodies against calretinin are markers for one type of rod pathway interneuron (AⅡ amacrine cell) in the retina of some but not all mammalian species. The AⅡ cells play a crucial role in night-time (scotopic) vision and have been proposed as a target for optogenetic restoration of vision in retinal disease. In the present study we aimed to characterize the AⅡ cells in human retina. Postmortem human donor eyes were obtained with ethical approval and processed for calretinin immunofluorescence. Calretinin-positive somas in the inner nuclear and the ganglion cell layer were filled with the lipophilic dye DiI. The large majority (over 80%) of calretinin-immunoreactive cells is located in the inner nuclear layer, is immunopositive for glycine transporter 1, and shows the typical morphology of AⅡ amacrine cells. In addition, a small proportion of calretinin-positive cells in the inner nuclear layer and in the ganglion cell layer is glutamic acid decarboxylase-positive and shows the morphology of widefield amacrine cells (stellate, semilunar, and thorny amacrine cells). About half of the calretinin cells in the ganglion cell layer are bistratified ganglion cells resembling the small bistratified (presumed blue-ON/yellow-OFF) and the G17 ganglion cell previously described in primates. We conclude that in human retina, antibodies against calretinin can be used to identify AⅡ amacrine cells in the inner nuclear layer as well as widefield amacrine and small bistratified ganglion cells in the ganglion cell layer.

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“…Rods generally compose about 97% of the receptor cells in bat retinae and occur at high densities comparable to those of other nocturnal mammals presumed to have dark-adapted vision (Suthers, 1970;Suthers and Wallis, 1970;Peichl, 2005;Müller et al, 2009). Considering the predominance of rods in bat eyes and the known dim-light-sensing abilities of these photoreceptors (Müller et al, 2013), rods may be the key anatomical structures permitting bats to see the dim UV light presented to them in our experiment. However, recent evidence for cone-based UV vision in bats raises additional possibilities about how bats might see UV light under scotopic conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…In most vertebrates, rod photoreceptors are associated with the perception of very dim (scotopic) light and show greatest sensitivity around the green (approximately 500 nm wavelength) part of the light spectrum, yet can also simultaneously sense light at a secondary 'cis peak' or 'beta band' in the UV range (Lythgoe, 1979;Winter et al, 2003). Rods are the dominant type of photoreceptor in the eyes of bats and show evidence in bats of being under strong purifying selection (Shen et al, 2012;Müller et al, 2013). Rods generally compose about 97% of the receptor cells in bat retinae and occur at high densities comparable to those of other nocturnal mammals presumed to have dark-adapted vision (Suthers, 1970;Suthers and Wallis, 1970;Peichl, 2005;Müller et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%