Article
Cell Biology
Laura Hanson, Prathyusha Ravi-Chander, David Berson, Gautam B. Awatramani
Summary: Bipolar cells are crucial in extracting diverse features from the visual environment and connecting photoreceptors to ganglion cells. In this study, we found that a specific type of mouse bipolar cell, BC5A, exhibits orientation selectivity. These cells' synaptic terminals respond best to vertical stimuli that are larger than their dendritic fields. This selectivity involves increased excitation for vertical stimuli, which requires gap junctional coupling through connexin36. Interestingly, we also discovered that this orientation selectivity can be detected in direction-selective ganglion cells, which were previously not thought to be selective for orientation. These findings demonstrate how a hierarchical network can extract multiple features using distinct electrical and chemical synaptic pathways.
Article
Neurosciences
Joseph Pottackal, Hannah L. Walsh, Pouyan Rahmani, Kathy Zhang, Nicholas J. Justice, Jonathan B. Demb
Summary: In this study, a circuitry was identified in mice that allows M5 ipRGCs to locally inhibit retinal neurons by forming electrical synapses with nonspiking GABAergic amacrine cells. The results demonstrate a functional role for electrical synapses in translating ipRGC activity into feedforward and feedback inhibition of local retinal circuits.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jongsu Choi, Jin Li, Salma Ferdous, Qingnan Liang, Jeffrey R. Moffitt, Rui Chen
Summary: This study generated a spatial atlas of the mouse retina using MERFISH technique, revealing the spatial arrangement of almost all cell subtypes in the retina and the connection between molecular classification and spatial arrangement. It also identified previously unknown cell subtypes and discovered spatially dependent differential gene expression between subtypes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Masahito Yamagata, Wenjun Yan, Joshua R. Sanes
Summary: This study used single-cell RNA sequencing to create a cell atlas of the chick retina, identifying 136 cell types and 14 positional or developmental intermediates among six classes of cells. The results provide a foundation for various studies of the avian visual system.
Article
Neurosciences
William N. Grimes, Didem Goz Ayturk, Mrinalini Hoon, Takeshi Yoshimatsu, Clare Gamlin, Daniel Carrera, Amurta Nath, Francisco M. Nadal-Nicolas, Richard M. Ahlquist, Adit Sabnis, David M. Berson, Jeffrey S. Diamond, Rachel O. Wong, Connie Cepko, Fred Rieke
Summary: This study introduces a previously unstudied inhibitory amacrine cell, named MAC, that is directly coupled to Muller glia in the mouse retina. MACs release glycine at chemical synapses and show selective connections with a subpopulation of retinal ganglion cell types.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Rania A. Masri, Felix Weltzien, Sivaraman Purushothuman, Sammy C. S. Lee, Paul R. Martin, Ulrike Grunert
Summary: This study measured the composition of the inner nuclear layer (INL) in human retina and found that while the absolute density of cell populations varies across the retina, their proportions remain relatively constant. Cone bipolar cells dominate the central retina, with a decrease in proportion towards the periphery balanced by an increase in rod bipolar cells. Despite regional differences in cell density, the neuronal makeup of the INL remains consistent.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah Strauss, Maria M. Korympidou, Yanli Ran, Katrin Franke, Timm Schubert, Tom Baden, Philipp Berens, Thomas Euler, Anna L. Vlasits
Summary: Motion sensing is a crucial aspect of vision. Research on mouse retinal bipolar cells has revealed the presence of radial direction selectivity, with some cells preferring the origin of small object motion trajectories. This selectivity relies on the properties of the center-surround receptive field. By studying these cells and using connectomics, biophysical models were developed to understand how their selectivity contributes to downstream cells. It was found that bipolar cells pass radial direction selective excitation to starburst amacrine cells, contributing to their directional tuning and potentially impacting motion processing throughout the visual system.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Sophia Wienbar, Gregory William Schwartz
Summary: The study reveals how the intrinsic properties of retinal ganglion cells affect feature selectivity. By comparing different types of RGCs, researchers found that differences in their intrinsic properties, rather than synaptic inputs, resulted in differences in contrast response functions.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Adam Mani, Xinzhu Yang, Tiffany A. Zhao, Megan L. Leyrer, Daniel Schreck, David M. Berson
Summary: This study reveals the role of VGluT3 cells in limiting the speed range of OKN. It enhances our understanding of the regulatory mechanism of retinal cell response to fast motion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Karthik Shekhar, Joshua R. Sanes
Summary: This article outlines recent studies using high-throughput single-cell RNA sequencing to generate retinal atlases, which have enhanced our understanding of retinal function, cell responses, gene expression patterns, and neural diversity throughout the brain.
ANNUAL REVIEW OF VISION SCIENCE, VOL 7, 2021
(2021)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Silke Haverkamp, Matthias Mietsch, Kevin L. Briggman
Summary: This study provides a first-time description of the structural characteristics and morphological differences of the common marmoset retina. The finding of misplaced ganglion cells and misplaced bipolar cell axon terminals has important implications for future research on the physiological and functional impact.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROANATOMY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiaoyu Liu, Mingru Bai, Yimin Sun, Xuchen Hu, Chenglin Wang, Jing Xie, Ling Ye
Summary: In osteoblasts, FGF7 promotes the expression of E11, leading to dendrites elongation and the formation of functional gap junctions through connexin43 (Cx43) interaction. This process is mediated by the MAPK pathway and PI3K-AKT pathway, suggesting a significant role of FGF7 in later stages of bone development and homeostasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Keith P. Johnson, Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Lei Zhao, Bing Wang, Sean McCracken, Philip R. Williams, Daniel Kerschensteiner
Summary: This study found that mice trace crickets with their binocular vision and that only a small subset of RGCs in the mouse retina innervate brain areas to support hunting success. Specifically, selective ablation of less than 2% of ipsi-RGCs greatly reduces the hunting success of mice, demonstrating the importance of a spatially restricted and cell-type-specific set of RGCs in guiding predation.
Article
Cell Biology
Katalin Fusz, Tamas Kovacs-Oller, Peter Kobor, Edina Szabo-Meleg, Bela Volgyi, Peter Buzas, Ildiko Telkes
Summary: The study found regional differences in the distribution of connexin-36 in the retinas of different species, which affects the processing of visual input. There is a close correlation between the density of Prox1-immunoreactive amacrine cells and the density of Cx36-immunoreactive plaques, which may contribute to functional ON/OFF asymmetries in the retina.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John A. Gaynes, Samuel A. Budoff, Michael J. Grybko, Joshua B. Hunt, Alon Poleg-Polsky
Summary: Antagonistic interactions between center and surround receptive field components are crucial in visual computations. We found that bipolar cells enhance responses to objects in their receptive field and show altered dynamics during continuous motion.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)