Applied Microscopy

Korean Society of Microscopy (한국현미경학회)
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Morphology and Synaptic Connectivity of Cholinergic Amacrine Cells in the Mouse Retina

생쥐 망막에서 콜린성 무축삭세포의 분포 양상 및 연접회로에 대한 연구

  • Kang, Wha-Sun (Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Department of Natural Science) ;
  • Chun, Myung-Hoon (Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy)
  • 강화선 (가톨릭대학교 의과대학 세포의학.생물학과) ;
  • 천명훈 (가톨릭대학교 의과대학 해부학교실)
  • Published : 2004.12.01
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Abstract

We investigated the morphology, distribution and synaptic connectivity of cholinergic neurons in the mouse retina by immunocytochemistry, using antisera against choline acetyltransferase (ChAT). ChAT-immunoreactive amacrine cells fall into two groups according to the localization of their somas in the retina: one is situated in the inner nuclear layer (INL), near the border of the inner plexiform layer (IPL), and the other is displaced in the ganglion cell layer (GCL). The dendrites of amacrine cells from the INL ramify in sublamina a and that of the displaced amacrine cells ramify in sublamina b of the IPL. Double labeling with an antisera against ChAT and r-aminobutyric acid (GABA) demonstrated that these labeled cells formed a subpopulation of GABAergic amacrine cells. The synaptic connectivity of ChAT-immunoreactive amacrine cells was identified in the IPL by electron microscopy. The most frequent synaptic input of ChAT-labeled amacrine cells was from bipolar cells in both sublaminae a and b of the IPL, followed by labeled amacrine cells and unlabeled amacrine cells. Their primary output targets were onto ganglion cells in both sublaminae a and b and output onto ganglion cells was more frequently observed in sublamina b of the IPL. Our results suggest that cholinergic amacrine cells in the mouse retina are very similar to their counter parts in other mammals, and they can attribute a major role in the pathway feeding into directionally selective ganglion cells.

생쥐의 망막에서 아세틸콜린의 합성효소인 choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)에 대한 항체를 이용한 면역세포화학법으로 콜린성 무축삭세포를 동정하고 분포양상을 조사하였다. 콜린성 무축삭세포는 망막에서 세포체의 위치에 따라서 두 종류로 구분된다. 즉 속핵층에 세포체가 위치하고 세포돌기는 속얼기층의 a 아층판에 위치하는 세포와 세포체가 신경절세포층에 위치하면서 세포돌기는 b 아층판에 위치하는 세포이다. GABA 항체를 이용한 이중 면역염색 결과 모든 콜린성 무축삭세포가 GABA에 대한 염색반응성을 나타내었다. 전자현미경 관찰 결과 콜린성 무축삭세포의 연접회로가 속얼기층에서 관찰되었다. 콜린성 무축삭세포는 두극세포와 가장 많은 수입연접을 형성하고 있었으며, 이 외에 콜린성 무축삭세포와 염색되지 않은 무축삭세포와의 연접도 관찰되었다. 콜린성 무축삭세포의 수출연접의 주요 대상은 신경절세포로 속얼기층의 b 아층판에서 더 빈번하게 관찰되었다. 이러한 연구결과로 생쥐 망막의 콜린성 무축삭세포도 다른 종류의 포유류와 매우 유사한 특징을 가지고 있으며, 방향선택성 신경절세포로 신호가 전달되는 과정에서 중요한 역할을 할 것으로 생각된다.

Keywords

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