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Developmental changes in the expression level of connexin36 in the rat retina

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Abstract

Connexin36 (Cx36) is the major gap junction forming protein in the brain and the retina; thus, alterations in its expression indicate changes in the corresponding circuitry. Many structural changes occur in the early postnatal retina before functional neuronal circuits are finalized, including those that incorporate gap junctions. To reveal the time-lapse formation of inner retinal gap junctions, we examine the developing postnatal rat retina from birth (P0) to young adult age (P20) and follow the expression of Cx36 in the mRNA and protein levels. We found a continuous elevation in the expression of both the Cx36 transcript and protein between P0 and P20 and a somewhat delayed Cx36 plaque formation throughout the inner plexiform layer (IPL) starting at P10. By using tristratificated calretinin positive (CaR+) fibers in the IPL as a guide, we detected a clear preference of Cx36 plaques for the ON sublamina from the earliest time of detection. This distributional preference became more pronounced at P15 and P20 due to the emergence and widespread expression of large (>0.1 μm2) Cx36 plaques in the ON sublamina. Finally, we showed that parvalbumin-positive (PV+) AII amacrine cell dendrites colocalize with Cx36 plaques as early as P10 in strata 3 and 4, whereas colocalizations in stratum 5 became characteristic only around P20. We conclude that Cx36 expression in the rat IPL displays a characteristic succession of changes during retinogenesis reflecting the formation of the underlying electrical synaptic circuitry. In particular, AII cell gap junctions, first formed with ON cone bipolar cells and later with other AII amacrine cells, accounted for the observed Cx36 expressional changes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Professor Róbert Gábriel, Dr. Viktória Dénes, Mónika Lakk and Zoltán Gödri for their generous help with advice and assistance during the research work. This research was supported by the European Union and the State of Hungary, co-financed by the European Social Fund in the framework of TÁMOP-4.2.4.A/ 2-11/1-2012-0001 ‘National Excellence Program’ and Hungarian Scientific Research Fund – OTKA, K105247 to B.V. and T.K-Ö.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors of this manuscript have no any conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence the work.

Role of authors

All authors had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: B.V.; acquisition of data: T.K-Ö, K.R. and J.O.; analysis and interpretation of data: T.K-Ö., K.R., J.O. and B.V.; drafting of the manuscript: T.K-Ö, K.R., B.V. and M.N.; critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: B.V.; statistical analysis: T.K-Ö and B.V.; obtained funding: B.V.; administrative, technical and material support: B.V. and M.N.; study supervision: B.V.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Zoology and Neurobiology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Ifjúság street 6, Hungary

    Tamás Kovács-Öller & Béla Völgyi

  2. János Szentágothai Research Center, Ifjúság street 20, Pécs, Hungary

    Tamás Kovács-Öller, Katalin Raics, József Orbán, Miklós Nyitrai & Béla Völgyi

  3. Department of Biophysics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    Katalin Raics, József Orbán & Miklós Nyitrai

  4. MTA-PTE High-Field Terahertz Research Group, Pécs, Hungary

    József Orbán

  5. MTA-PTE Nuclear-Mitochondrial Interactions Research Group, Pécs, Hungary

    Miklós Nyitrai

  6. Department of Ophthalmology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Béla Völgyi

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  1. Tamás Kovács-Öller
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  2. Katalin Raics
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Kovács-Öller, T., Raics, K., Orbán, J. et al. Developmental changes in the expression level of connexin36 in the rat retina. Cell Tissue Res 358, 289–302 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-014-1967-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-014-1967-9

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