Immunohistochemical demonstration of [D-Ala2]deltorphin-I in amacrine cells of rat retina.
In an immunohistochemical study, a specific antiserum raised against [D-Ala2]deltorphin-I (DADTI), a highly selective ligand for delta opioid receptors, was used to demonstrate immunoreactive structures in the rat retina. [D-Ala2]Deltorphin-I immunoreactivity occurred in a subpopulation of the retinal amacrine cells situated in the inner nuclear layer. Their stained processes were mainly distributed in the sublaminae 1 and 3 of the inner plexiform layer. A few positive cells, probably displaced amacrine cells, were also seen in the ganglion cell layer. Double immunostaining revealed that 12.8% of DADTI-immunoreactive cells costored GABA and 27.7% costored neuropeptide Y, whereas only few DADTI-positive cells colocalized tyrosine hydroxylase (0.3%) and almost no other peptides. These findings suggest that some retinal amacrine cells possess DADTI-like molecule(s), possibly acting as neurotransmitter(s) or neuromodulator(s).
Department of Ophthalmology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan.
H
H
Abe
I
I
Tooyama
T
T
Renda
V
V
Erspamer
H
H
Kimura
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology
D009842:Oligopeptides; C060208:deltorphin I, Ala(2)-