Comparative Studies on the Distribution of Glutamate Transporters in the Retinae of the Mongolian Gerbil and the Rat

Abstract

Glutamate is the major excitatory amino acid transmitter in vertebrate retinae. Glutamate transporters therefore play an important role in the precise control of glutamate concentration in the synaptic cleft by regulating extracellular glutamate concentration. In the present study, we performed an analysis of the expressions of three glutamate transporters in gerbil retina using immunohistochemistry. In the gerbil retina, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 and glutamate transporter 1 immunoreactivity was predominant in the ganglion cells but not amacrine or bipolar cells. Glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) immunoreactivity was observed in the radial gliocytes of which the dense network of fine processes was localized in the inner and outer plexiform layers. GLAST immunoreactivity was also detected in astrocytes in the nerve fibre layer. These results demonstrate that three glutamate transporters show specific distributions in the gerbil retina and suggest that the glutamate re-uptake system in the gerbil retina may be different from that of the rat.

Comparative Study on Calretinin Immunoreactivity in Gerbil and Rat Retina

“…Six major neuronal cells with multiple subtypes are located in three neuronal layers (Dowling, 1987). Mammalian retina contains various neuroactive substances including calretinin and other calcium‐binding proteins (Endo et al., 1985, 1986; Hamano et al., 1990; Pochet et al., 1991; Baimbridge et al., 1992; Kang et al., 2000; Calaza et al., 2001). Modulation of intracellular calcium levels involves numerous neurobiological conditions such as neurite outgrowth during development (Cohan et al., 1987; Mattson et al., 1988), opening of ion channels (Marty, 1989) and exocytosis of neurotransmitters (Smith and Augustine, 1988; Knight et al., 1989).…”

Chronological Alterations of P2X3 Receptor Expression in the Trigeminal Ganglion after Ischaemic Insult in the Mongolian Gerbil

“…Moreover, sufficient evidence is available to suggest that ATP acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It has been reported that ATP mediates fast synaptic transmission in the brain (Edwards and Gibb, 1993; Kang et al., 2000), and that ATP‐mediated neurotransmission is important both in the sensory pathways and in the central and peripheral nervous systems (Khakh, 2001).…”