title: Quantification and characterization of GABA-ergic amacrine cells in the retina of GAD67-GFP knock-in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although the presence of gamma-aminobutyrate acid (GABA) in amacrine cells and its co-localization with other neuronal substances is well known, there exists only little information about their quantitative distribution in the mouse eye. The aim of the present study was to characterize GABA-ergic amacrine cells in the retina of the recently introduced glutamate decarboxylase 67-green fluorescent protein (GAD67-GFP) knock-in mouse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Whole mounts of the retina were prepared and the GFP-positive neurons quantified. Immunofluorescence staining was performed with antibodies against GABA, calbindin (CB), calretinin (CR), parvalbumin (PV), choline acetyl transferase (ChAT), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vesicular glutamate transporter (VGluT) 1, VGluT2 and VGluT3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Displaced GABA-ergic amacrine cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) showed a density of 1006 +/- 170 cells/mm(2). In the inner nuclear layer (INL), the density of amacrine cells was 8821 +/- 448 cells/mm(2) in the central region and 6825 +/- 408 cells/mm(2) in the peripheral region. GFP-positive amacrine cells co-localized with GABA (99%), CR (INL 18%, GCL 71.3%), CB (INL 6.3%), bNOS (INL 1%, GCL 4%), and ChAT (INL 17%, GCL 92.6%). No co-localization was seen with antibodies against PV, TH, and VGluT 1-3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study presents the first quantitative data concerning the co-localization of GABA-ergic neurons in the mouse retina with various neuronal markers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Carl Gustav Carus Medical Faculty, Technical University Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Albrecht.May@mailbox.tu-dresden.de
authors.forename: Christian Albrecht
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Kouichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Fumino
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fujiyama
authors.forename: Yuchio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanagawa
mesh_terms: D025042:Amacrine Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D026922:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Acidic / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D064032:Calbindin 2; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism; D010320:Parvalbumins / Q000378:metabolism; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G / Q000378:metabolism; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism; D050598:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D050599:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D026922:Amino Acid Transport Systems, Acidic; D015415:Biomarkers; D064032:Calbindin 2; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D005968:Glutamate Decarboxylase; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D010320:Parvalbumins; D064030:S100 Calcium Binding Protein G; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D050598:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1; D050599:Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 2; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; C576511:Calb2 protein, mouse; C493477:Slc17a6 protein, mouse; C493465:Slc17a7 protein, mouse; C504941:Slc17a8 protein, mouse; C496321:Nos1 protein, mouse; C402565:glutamate decarboxylase 1