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- Title
Differential expression of three T-type calcium channels in retinal bipolar cells in rats.
- Authors
Caiping Hu; Anding Bi; Zhuo-Hua Pan
- Abstract
Retinal bipolar cells convey visual information from photoreceptors to retinal third-order neurons, amacrine and ganglion cells, with graded potentials through diversified cell types. To understand the possible role of voltage-dependent T-type Ca2+ currents in retinal bipolar cells, we investigated the pharmacological and biophysical properties of T-type Ca2+ currents in acutely dissociated retinal cone bipolar cells from rats using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. We observed a broad group of cone bipolar cells with prominent T-type Ca2+ currents (T-rich) and another group with prominent L-type Ca2+ currents (L-rich). Based on the pharmacological and biophysical properties of the T-type Ca2+ currents, T-rich cone bipolar cells could be divided into three subgroups. Each subgroup appeared to express a single dominant T-type Ca2+ channel subunit. The T-type calcium currents could generate low-threshold regenerative potentials or spikes. Our results suggest that T-type Ca2+ channels may play an active and distinct signaling role in second-order neurons of the visual system, in contrast to the common signaling by L-rich bipolar cells.
- Subjects
RETINAL (Visual pigment); PHOTORECEPTORS; NEURONS; RETINAL ganglion cells; PHARMACOLOGY; PHYSICAL biochemistry
- Publication
Visual Neuroscience, 2009, Vol 26, Issue 2, p177
- ISSN
0952-5238
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0952523809090026