Deletion of Connexin45 in Mouse Retinal Neurons Disrupts the Rod/Cone Signaling Pathway between AII Amacrine and ON Cone Bipolar Cells and Leads to Impaired Visual Transmission

Connexin45 (Cx45) is known to be expressed in the retina, but its functional analysis was problematic because general deletion of Cx45 coding DNA resulted in cardiovascular defects and embryonic lethality at embryonic day 10.5. We generated mice with neuron-directed deletion of Cx45 and concomitant...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of neuroscience 2005-01, Vol.25 (3), p.566-576
Main Authors: Maxeiner, Stephan, Dedek, Karin, Janssen-Bienhold, Ulrike, Ammermuller, Josef, Brune, Hendrik, Kirsch, Taryn, Pieper, Mario, Degen, Joachim, Kruger, Olaf, Willecke, Klaus, Weiler, Reto
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amacrine Cells - physiology
Animals
Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Connexins - biosynthesis
Connexins - genetics
Connexins - physiology
Electroretinography
Eye Proteins - biosynthesis
Eye Proteins - genetics
Eye Proteins - physiology
Genes, Reporter
Genetic Vectors
Green Fluorescent Proteins - biosynthesis
Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics
Integrases
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Mice, Transgenic
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Retina - cytology
Retina - metabolism
Retina - physiology
Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells - cytology
Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells - physiology
Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells - cytology
Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells - physiology
Vision, Ocular - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Connexin45 (Cx45) is known to be expressed in the retina, but its functional analysis was problematic because general deletion of Cx45 coding DNA resulted in cardiovascular defects and embryonic lethality at embryonic day 10.5. We generated mice with neuron-directed deletion of Cx45 and concomitant activation of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). EGFP labeling was observed in bipolar, amacrine, and ganglion cell populations. Intracellular microinjection of fluorescent dyes in EGFP-labeled somata combined with immunohistological markers revealed Cx45 expression in both ON and OFF cone bipolar cells. The scotopic electroretinogram of mutant mice revealed a normal a-wave but a 40% reduction in the b-wave amplitude, similar to that found in Cx36-deficient animals, suggesting a possible defect in the rod pathway of visual transmission. Indeed, neurotransmitter coupling between AII amacrine cells and Cx45-expressing cone bipolar cells was disrupted in Cx45-deficient mice. These data suggest that both Cx45 and Cx36 participate in the formation of functional heterotypic electrical synapses between these two types of retinal neurons that make up the major rod pathway.
ISSN:0270-6474
1529-2401
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3232-04.2005