Comparative studies on the distribution of glutamate transporters in the retinae of the Mongolian gerbil and the rat.
Glutamate is the major excitatory amino acid transmitter in vertebrate retinae. Glutamate transporters therefore play an important role in the precise control of glutamate concentration in the synaptic cleft by regulating extracellular glutamate concentration. In the present study, we performed an analysis of the expressions of three glutamate transporters in gerbil retina using immunohistochemistry. In the gerbil retina, excitatory amino acid carrier 1 and glutamate transporter 1 immunoreactivity was predominant in the ganglion cells but not amacrine or bipolar cells. Glutamate/aspartate transporter (GLAST) immunoreactivity was observed in the radial gliocytes of which the dense network of fine processes was localized in the inner and outer plexiform layers. GLAST immunoreactivity was also detected in astrocytes in the nerve fibre layer. These results demonstrate that three glutamate transporters show specific distributions in the gerbil retina and suggest that the glutamate re-uptake system in the gerbil retina may be different from that of the rat.
Kang
T C
TC
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon 200-702, South Korea.
Park
S K
SK
Jo
S M
SM
Lee
J Y
JY
Won
M H
MH
Park
J
J
Choi
S Y
SY
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters / Q000032:analysis*; D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG; D000818:Animals; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000378:metabolism*; D012160:Retina / Q000378:metabolism*
D018528:ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters; D027322:Amino Acid Transport System X-AG