Large‐scale morphological survey of mouse retinal ganglion cells

Abstract

Five hundred twenty ganglion cells in an isolated whole-mount preparation of the mouse retina were labeled using the "DiOlistic" method (Gan et al. [2000] Neuron 27:219-225) and were classified according to their morphological properties. Tungsten particles coated with a lipophilic dye (DiI) were propelled into the whole-mount retina using a gene gun. When a dye-coated particle contacted the cell membrane, the entire cell was labeled. The ganglion cells were classified into four groups based on their soma size, dendritic field size, and pattern and level of stratification. Broadly monostratified cells were classified into three groups: RG(A) cells (large soma, large dendritic field), RG(B) cells (small to medium-sized soma, small to medium-sized dendritic field), and RG(C) cells (small to medium-sized size soma, medium-sized to large dendritic field). Bistratified cells were classified as RG(D). This study represents the most complete morphological classification of mouse retinal ganglion cells available to date and provides a foundation for further understanding of the correlation of physiology and morphology and ganglion cell function with genetically manipulated animals.

Receptive field center size decreases and firing properties mature in ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells after eye opening in the mouse

“…Because RGCs at P8 can be grouped into the classes seen in adult with no cells of intermediate morphological stage being observed after eye opening (Coombs et al 2007;Diao et al 2004;Sun et al 2002), individual RGCs most likely do not change their morphological type across development; a type observed at eye opening would be recognized as the same type at later ages. This classification is when the RGC dendrites are viewed in the plane of the retina.…”

Functional rescue of experimental ischemic optic neuropathy with αB-crystallin

“…Curiously, fVEP latencies in the aBC-treated group improved beyond that of the baseline, which may be related to the direct effects of aBC or from aBC-facilitated developmental acceleration of VEP latency. 40 Aside from the effects on ON oligodendrocytes, we cannot rule out that aBC treatment may have led to the selective survival of faster conducting RGCs, such as the parasol cells, over those of the slower conducting cells, such as the midget cells, 41 which could explain the decreased latencies observed in the aBC treated mice. Although the melanopsin-containing RGCs are known to be more resistant to ischemia, they do not contribute to evoked responses in the occipital lobe and therefore cannot account for the VEP latency changes.…”

The neuron classification problem

“…General agreement emerges that they form three morphologically distinct, major types, groups A-C. The nomenclature proposed by Sun and colleagues (Sun et al, 2004) is identical to Huxlin and Goodchild (Huxlin and Goodchild, 1997) except a fourth morphologically defined group is included. It is not a BAMS Reference nomenclature because the classification was based on a smaller set of morphological parameters, included in the set used by Huxlin and Goodchild, and there is no independent confirmation of their fourth group.…”

“…Morphological "type C others", or C3 (Sun et al, 2004), exemplifies how ontologies can be used for nomenclature alignment and knowledge extraction. In BAMS's Neuron ontology this neuron population is a child of group C, which is the most diverse hodologically (from data in BAMS).…”

“…4) it is inferred that "cell population C other" projects to various hypothalamic and pretectal target regions and includes melanopsinexpressing retinal ganglion cells, which are synonymous with neurons coexpressing glutamate and PACAP (Hannibal et al, 2002). The morphological heterogeneity of rat retinal ganglion cell group C (Huxlin and Goodchild, 1997;Sun et al, 2004) is likely correlated with the diversity of brain region targets (Cajal, 1995). From relations between terms in the ontology, group A includes retinal ganglion cell populations projecting to superior colliculus and dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus, lateral posterior thalamic nucleus, and ventral lateral geniculate nucleus.…”