title: GABA release induced by aspartate-mediated activation of NMDA receptors is modulated by dopamine in a selective subpopulation of amacrine cells.
abstract: Glutamate and GABA are the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the CNS, including the retina. In the chick retina, GABA is located in horizontal and amacrine cells and in some cells in the ganglion cell layer. It has been shown that glutamate and its agonists, NMDA, kainate, and aspartate, promote the release of GABA from isolated retina and from cultured retinal cells. Dopamine, the major catecholamine in the retina, inhibits the induction of GABA release by NMDA. Two to seven-day-old intact chicken retinas were stimulated with different glutamatergic agonists and the GABA remaining in the tissue was detected by immunohistochemical procedures. The exposure of retinas to 100 microM NMDA for 30 minutes resulted in 50% reduction in the number of GABA-immunoreactive amacrine cells. Aspartate (100 microM) treatment also resulted in 60% decrease in the number of GABA-immunoreactive amacrine cells. The number of GABA-immunoreactive horizontal cells was not affected by either NMDA or aspartate. In addition, dopamine reversed by 50% the reduction of the number of GABA-immunoreactive amacrine cells exposed to NMDA or aspartate. Kainate stimulation promoted a 50% reduction in the number of both GABA-immunoreactive amacrine and horizontal cells. Dopamine did not interfere with the kainate effect. While in control and in non-stimulated retinas a continuous and homogeneous immunolabeling was observed throughout the inner plexiform layer, retinas exposed to NMDA, kainate and aspartate displayed only a faint punctate labeling in the inner plexiform layer. It is concluded that, under our experimental conditions, both NMDA and aspartate induce the release of GABA exclusively from amacrine cells, and that the release is modulated by dopamine. On the other hand, kainate stimulates GABA release from both amacrine and horizontal cells with no interference of dopamine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio Neurobiologia da retina, Departamento Neurobiologia, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, CCS, Bloco G, Cidade Universitária, UFRJ, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Calaza
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: de Mello
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Gardino
mesh_terms: D025042:Amacrine Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002645:Chickens; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D050485:GABA Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018690:Excitatory Amino Acid Agonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D050485:GABA Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D007527:Isoenzymes; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; D027361:Organic Anion Transporters; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase; C402565:glutamate decarboxylase 1; D007608:Kainic Acid; D004298:Dopamine