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Connectivity of glycine immunoreactive amacrine cells in the cat retina
Author(s) -
Pourcho Roberta G.,
Owczarzak Michael T.
Publication year - 1991
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.903070404
Subject(s) - inner plexiform layer , colocalization , retina , amacrine cell , biology , glycine , synaptic vesicle , immunocytochemistry , neuroscience , ganglion cell layer , ganglion , vesicle , outer plexiform layer , immunogold labelling , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , ultrastructure , endocrinology , biochemistry , amino acid , membrane
The synaptic relationships of glycine immunoreactive amacrine cells in the cat retina were studied through the use of postembedding immunogold techniques. Glycine immunoreactive amacrine cells were found to synapse extensively with other amacrines and ganglion cells, particularly in strata 1–3 of the inner plexiform layer. This contrasts with GABA immunoreactive amacrine cells which provide major input to bipolar cells in strata 3–5. Glycine containing amacrine terminals exhibited diversity with respect to the morphology of their synaptic vesicles. The three types of terminals which could be distinguished were characterized by small pleomorphic (32–35 nm), medium‐sized flattened (38–45 nm), or larger rounded (48–55 nm) vesicles. Comparison of retinal sections processed for glycine immunoreactivity with adjacent sections stained for GABA reactivity revealed a colocalization of glycine and GABA in 3% of the cells in the amacrine layer and approximately 40% of the cells in the ganglion cell layer, The amacrine terminals in which glycine and GABA were colocalized typically contained the small pleomorphic type of vesicles.