Rac1 Modulates Excitatory Synaptic Transmission in Mouse Retinal Ganglion Cells / 神经科学通报·英文版

Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (Rac1), a member of the Rho GTPase family which plays important roles in dendritic spine morphology and plasticity, is a key regulator of cytoskeletal reorganization in dendrites and spines. Here, we investigated whether and how Rac1 modulates synaptic transmission in mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) using selective conditional knockout of Rac1 (Rac1-cKO). Rac1-cKO significantly reduced the frequency of AMPA receptor-mediated miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents, while glycine/GABA receptor-mediated miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents were not affected. Although the total GluA1 protein level was increased in Rac1-cKO mice, its expression in the membrane component was unchanged. Rac1-cKO did not affect spine-like branch density in single dendrites, but significantly reduced the dendritic complexity, which resulted in a decrease in the total number of dendritic spine-like branches. These results suggest that Rac1 selectively affects excitatory synaptic transmission in RGCs by modulating dendritic complexity.

Glutamate receptor-mediated retinal neuronal injury in experimental glaucoma / 生理学报

Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by optic nerve degeneration related to apoptotic death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In the pathogenesis of RGC death following the onset of glaucoma, functional changes of glutamate receptors are commonly regarded as important risk factors. During the past several years, we have explored the mechanisms underlying RGC apoptosis and retinal Müller cell reactivation (gliosis) in a rat chronic ocular hypertension (COH) model. We demonstrated that elevated intraocular pressure in COH rats may induce changes of various signaling pathways, which are involved in RGC apoptosis by modulating glutamate NMDA and AMPA receptors. Moreover, we also demonstrated that over-activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR I) by excessive extracellular glutamate in COH rats could contribute to Müller cell gliosis by suppressing Kir4.1 channels. In this review, incorporating our results, we discuss glutamate receptor- mediated RGC apoptosis and Müller cell gliosis in experimental glaucoma.

Physiological and pharmacological characterization of glutamate and GABA receptors in the retina

Glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the vertebrate retina, respectively. Using the whole-cell patch clamp technique and a rapid solution changer, glutamate and GABA receptors have been extensively investigated in carp retina. Glutamate receptors on both horizontal and amacrine cells may be an AMPA preferring subtype, which predominantly consists of flop splice variants. GABAA and GABAC receptors coexist in bipolar cells and they both show significant desensitization. Kinetics analysis demonstrated that activation, deactivation and desensitization of the GABAC receptor-mediated response of these cells are overall slower than those of the GABAA response. Endogenous modulator Zn2+ in the retina was found to differentially modulate the kinetic characteristics of the GABAC and GABAA responses.