Sensitivity and kinetics of signal transmission at the first visual synapse differentially impact visually-guided behavior

eLife

Kirill A Martemyanov¹  Yan Cao¹  Ignacio Sarria¹  Vladimir J Kefalov²  Alexander V Kolesnikov²  Johan Pahlberg³  Alapakkam P Sampath³ 

[1] Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, United States;Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St.Louis, St. Louis, United States;Jules Stein Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, United States;

关键词: retina;    vision;    G protein signaling;    synaptic transmission;    RGS protein;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.06358

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

In the retina, synaptic transmission between photoreceptors and downstream ON-bipolar neurons (ON-BCs) is mediated by a GPCR pathway, which plays an essential role in vision. However, the mechanisms that control signal transmission at this synapse and its relevance to behavior remain poorly understood. In this study we used a genetic system to titrate the rate of GPCR signaling in ON-BC dendrites by varying the concentration of key RGS proteins and measuring the impact on transmission of signal between photoreceptors and ON-BC neurons using electroretinography and single cell recordings. We found that sensitivity, onset timing, and the maximal amplitude of light-evoked responses in rod- and cone-driven ON-BCs are determined by different RGS concentrations. We further show that changes in RGS concentration differentially impact visually guided-behavior mediated by rod and cone ON pathways. These findings illustrate that neuronal circuit properties can be modulated by adjusting parameters of GPCR-based neurotransmission at individual synapses.

【 授权许可】

Unknown