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β‐Endorphin expression in the mouse retina
Author(s) -
Gallagher Shan K.,
Witkovsky Paul,
Roux Michel J.,
Low Malcolm J.,
OteroCorchon Veronica,
Hentges Shane T.,
Vigh Jozsef
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of comparative neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.855
H-Index - 209
eISSN - 1096-9861
pISSN - 0021-9967
DOI - 10.1002/cne.22387
Subject(s) - biology , retina , cholinergic , immunostaining , genetically modified mouse , microbiology and biotechnology , neuroscience , calretinin , transgene , immunohistochemistry , medicine , endocrinology , gene , genetics , immunology
Evidence showing expression of endogenous opioids in the mammalian retina is sparse. In the present study we examined a transgenic mouse line expressing an obligate dimerized form of Discosoma red fluorescent protein (DsRed) under the control of the pro‐opiomelanocortin promoter and distal upstream regulatory elements to assess whether pro‐opiomelanocortin peptide (POMC), and its opioid cleavage product, β‐endorphin, are expressed in the mouse retina. Using double label immunohistochemistry we found that DsRed fluorescence was restricted to a subset of GAD‐67‐positive cholinergic amacrine cells of both orthotopic and displaced subtypes. About 50% of cholinergic amacrine cells colocalized DsRed and a large fraction of DsRed‐expressing amacrine cells was positive for β‐endorphin immunostaining, whereas β‐endorphin‐immunoreactive neurons were absent in retinas of POMC null mice. Our findings contribute to a growing body of evidence demonstrating that opioid peptides are an integral component of vertebrate retinas, including those of mammals. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:3130–3148, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.