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Group II and Group III Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in the Rat Retina: Distributions and Developmental Expression Patterns
Author(s) -
Koulen Peter,
Malitschek Barbara,
Kuhn Rainer,
Wässle Heinz,
Brandstätter Johann Helmut
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1460-9568.1996.tb00739.x
Subject(s) - metabotropic glutamate receptor , metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 , retina , metabotropic receptor , metabotropic glutamate receptor 2 , glutamate receptor , metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 , neuroscience , receptor , biology , metabotropic glutamate receptor 7 , chemistry , genetics
We have studied the distributions of group II metabotropic glutamate receptors, mGluR2 and mGluR3, and a group III metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR4, in the adult rat retina and during postnatal development using receptor specific anti‐peptide antisera. Of the three receptors examined, mGluR3 was not expressed in the retina. MGluR2 showed a distinct stratification pattern in the inner plexiform layer (IPL). Double‐labelling immunocytochemistry revealed that mGluR2 was localized in the processes of cholinergic amacrine cells. MGluR4 was found throughout the entire IPL. At the subcellular level, both mGluR2 and mGluR4 were found to be localized exclusively in processes postsynaptic to bipolar cell synapses in the IPL. During postnatal development, labelling for mGluR2 was detected at around postnatal day five. MGluR4 was already present at postnatal day one, prior to the establishment of synaptic connections in the IPL. The differential expression patterns of individual metabotropic glutamate receptors in the adult and developing rat retina suggest distinct roles for these receptors in retinal synaptic circuitry.