Postnatal development of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide immunoreactive amacrine cells in the rat retina.
The ontogenic development of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-immunoreactive amacrine cells in the rat retina was studied using peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) immunohistochemistry. In the rat retina, VIP immunoreactivity appeared entirely in postnatal stage. On the 12th postnatal day, VIP-immunoreactive amacrine cells could be first detected. However, VIP immunoreactivity was very weak and VIP-immunoreactive amacrine cell processes could not be observed at this stage. On the 21st postnatal day, VIP-immunoreactive amacrine cell bodies became more mature and their processes were distinctly observed, resembling their appearance in adult rat retinas. VIP immunoreactivity could be detected in both stratified and diffuse amacrine cells at this stage. The relationship between the first appearance of VIP-immunoreactive amacrine cells and the synaptic formation in the inner plexiform layer is briefly discussed.
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000378:metabolism*
D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide