title: Enrichment of glutamate-like immunoreactivity in the retinotectal terminals of the viper Vipera aspis: an electron microscope quantitative immunogold study.
abstract: A post-embedding immunogold study was carried out to estimate the immunoreactivity to glutamate in retinal terminals, P axon terminals and dendrites containing synaptic vesicles in the superficial layers of the optic tectum of Vipera. Retinal terminals, identified following either intraocular injection of tritiated proline, horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or short-term survivals after retinal ablation, were observed to be highly glutamate-immunoreactive. A detailed quantitative analysis showed that about 50% of glutamate immunoreactivity was localized over the synaptic vesicles, 35.8% over mitochondria and 14.2% over the axoplasmic matrix. The close association of immunoreactivity with the synaptic vesicles could indicate that Vipera retino-tectal terminals may use glutamate as their neurotransmitter. P axon terminals and dendrites containing synaptic vesicles, strongly gamma-aminobutyric (GABA)-immunoreactive, were shown to be also moderately glutamate-immunoreactive, but two to three times less than retinal terminals. Moreover, in P axon terminals, the glutamate immunoreactivity was denser over mitochondria than over synaptic vesicles, possibly reflecting the 'metabolic' pool of glutamate, which serves as a precursor in the formation of GABA.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U-106, Laboratoire de Neuromorphologie, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Repérant
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rio
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wasowicz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Miceli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pierre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001369:Axons / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology*; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology*; D017819:Viperidae; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D006735:Horseradish Peroxidase