title: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor modulates the dopaminergic network in the rat retina after axotomy.
abstract: Dopaminergic cells in the retina express the receptor for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is the neurotrophic factor that influences the plasticity of synapses in the central nervous system. We sought to determine whether BDNF influences the network of dopaminergic amacrine cells in the axotomized rat retina, by immunocytochemistry with an anti-tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) antiserum. In the control retina, we found two types of TH-immunoreactive amacrine cells, type I and type II, in the inner nuclear layer adjacent to the inner plexiform layer (IPL). The type I amacrine cell varicosities formed ring-like structures in contact with AII amacrine cell somata in stratum 1 of the IPL. In the axotomized retinas, TH-labeled processes formed loose networks of fibers, unlike the dense networks in the control retina, and the ring-like structures were disrupted. In the axotomized retinas treated with BDNF, strong TH-immunoreactive varicosities were present in stratum 1 of the IPL and formed ring-like structures. Our data suggest that BDNF affects the expression of TH immunoreactivity in the axotomized rat retina and may therefore influence the retinal dopaminergic system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Socho-gu, Seoul 137-701, South Korea. mhchun@catholic.ac.kr
authors.forename: Eun-Jin
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Myoung-Chul
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hyun-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun-Jin
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: In-Beom
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Su-Ja
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Jung-I L
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Myung-Hoon
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chun
mesh_terms: D025042:Amacrine Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D019771:Axotomy; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D010320:Parvalbumins; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D004298:Dopamine