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Localization of chemical and electrical synapses in the retina

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Date Issued:
2011
Summary:
The amphibian retina is commonly used as a model system for studying function and mechanism of the visual system in electrophysiology, since the neural structure and synaptic mechanism of the amphibian retina are similar to higher vertebrate retinas. I determined the specific subtypes of receptors and channels that are involved in chemical and electrical synapses in the amphibian retina. My study indicates that glycine receptor subunits of GlyRº1, 3 and 4 and glutamate receptor subunit of GluR4 are present in bipolar and amacrine dendrites and axons to conduct chemical synapses in the retinal circuit. I also found that the gap junction channel, pannexin 1a (panx1a), is present in cone-dominated On-bipolar cells and rod-dominated amacrine processes possibly to connect rod-and cone-pathway in the inner retina. In addition, panx1a may form hemi-channels that pass ATP and Ca2+ signals. The findings of my study fill the gap of our knowledge about the subtypes of neurotransmitter receptors and gap junction channels conducting visual information in particular cell types and synaptic areas.
Title: Localization of chemical and electrical synapses in the retina.
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Name(s): Liu, Yufei.
Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine
Department of Biomedical Science
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2011
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: ix, 48 p. : ill. (some col.)
Language(s): English
Summary: The amphibian retina is commonly used as a model system for studying function and mechanism of the visual system in electrophysiology, since the neural structure and synaptic mechanism of the amphibian retina are similar to higher vertebrate retinas. I determined the specific subtypes of receptors and channels that are involved in chemical and electrical synapses in the amphibian retina. My study indicates that glycine receptor subunits of GlyRº1, 3 and 4 and glutamate receptor subunit of GluR4 are present in bipolar and amacrine dendrites and axons to conduct chemical synapses in the retinal circuit. I also found that the gap junction channel, pannexin 1a (panx1a), is present in cone-dominated On-bipolar cells and rod-dominated amacrine processes possibly to connect rod-and cone-pathway in the inner retina. In addition, panx1a may form hemi-channels that pass ATP and Ca2+ signals. The findings of my study fill the gap of our knowledge about the subtypes of neurotransmitter receptors and gap junction channels conducting visual information in particular cell types and synaptic areas.
Identifier: 774383418 (oclc), 3332725 (digitool), FADT3332725 (IID), fau:3793 (fedora)
Note(s): by Yufei Liu.
Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Synapses
Neurotransmitters
Neural receptors
Cellular signal transduction
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3332725
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU