QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (28) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schmid, S. Articles by Guenther, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schmid, S. Articles by Guenther, E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

The Journal of Neuroscience, May 1, 1999, 19(9):3486-3494

Voltage-Activated Calcium Currents in Rat Retinal Ganglion Cells In Situ: Changes during Prenatal and Postnatal Development

Susanne Schmid and Elke Guenther

Department of Pathophysiology of Vision and Neuro-Ophthalmology, Division of Experimental Ophthalmology, University Eye Hospital, Röntgenweg 11, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

Voltage-activated calcium currents (I_Ca) are one way by which calcium influx into neurons is mediated. To investigate changes in kinetic properties of I_Ca during neuronal development and to correlate possible kinetic changes with specific differentiation processes, the I_Ca of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) was recorded with the perforated patch-clamp technique in rat retinal slices and in whole mounts at different prenatal and postnatal stages.

I_Ca density increased between embryonic day (E) 20 and the adult stage, paralleled by a shift in activation of the -conotoxin GVIA-sensitive I_Ca toward more negative membrane potentials. Furthermore, developmental alterations were observed in I_Ca inactivation rate during a 120 msec test pulse and in steady-state inactivation of I_Ca. The most striking feature in I_Ca kinetics was a transient slowing of calcium current deactivation, which peaked at postnatal day (P)3-5 and affected all I_Ca subtypes.

Although the shift in activation and the decreased inactivation rate of I_Ca can be explained by differential regulation of distinct calcium channel subtypes, it is more likely that a more general alteration of the cells' functional state was the underlying factor in alterations in steady-state inactivation and current deactivation of I_Ca.

Alterations in the -conotoxin GVIA-sensitive and the toxin-resistant currents temporarily coincide with dendritic differentiation, and it is tempting to speculate about their role in network formation in the inner retina. In contrast, alterations in steady-state inactivation and current deactivation may be involved in the regulation of RGC survival, because they occur during the period of programmed cell death in the ganglion cell layer.

In conclusion, distinct time windows of alterations in calcium channel properties were found, and this study has provided a basis for performing functional assays to clarify in detail the developmental process to which these alterations are related.

Key words: retina; retinal ganglion cell; development; perforated patch clamp; voltage-activated calcium channels; kinetic properties; rat

---

Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/99/1993486-09$05.00/0

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. T. E. Hartwick, C. M. Hamilton, and W. H. Baldridge Glutamatergic calcium dynamics and deregulation of rat retinal ganglion cells J. Physiol., July 15, 2008; 586(14): 3425 - 3446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. T. E. Hartwick, J. R. Bramley, J. Yu, K. T. Stevens, C. N. Allen, W. H. Baldridge, P. J. Sollars, and G. E. Pickard Light-Evoked Calcium Responses of Isolated Melanopsin-Expressing Retinal Ganglion Cells J. Neurosci., December 5, 2007; 27(49): 13468 - 13480. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Berkowitz, R. Roberts, J. S. Penn, and M. Gradianu High-Resolution Manganese-Enhanced MRI of Experimental Retinopathy of Prematurity Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., October 1, 2007; 48(10): 4733 - 4740. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. P. Elsen and J.-M. Ramirez Postnatal Development Differentially Affects Voltage-Activated Calcium Currents in Respiratory Rhythmic Versus Nonrhythmic Neurons of the Pre-Botzinger Complex J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2005; 94(2): 1423 - 1431. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Grigaliunas, R. M. Bradley, D. K. MacCallum, and C. M. Mistretta Distinctive Neurophysiological Properties of Embryonic Trigeminal and Geniculate Neurons in Culture J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2002; 88(4): 2058 - 2074. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Hou, L. J. Roberts II, D. F. Taber, J. D. Morrow, K. Kanai, F. Gobeil Jr., M. H. Beauchamp, S. G. Bernier, G. Lepage, D. R. Varma, et al. 2,3-Dinor-5,6-dihydro-15-F2t-isoprostane: a bioactive prostanoid metabolite Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 2001; 281(2): R391 - R400. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				X. Luo, V. Heidinger, S. Picaud, G. Lambrou, H. Dreyfus, J. Sahel, and D. Hicks Selective Excitotoxic Degeneration of Adult Pig Retinal Ganglion Cells In Vitro Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., April 1, 2001; 42(5): 1096 - 1106. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. M. Brown, R. E. Westenbroek, W. A. Catterall, and B. R. Ransom Axonal L-Type Ca2+ Channels and Anoxic Injury in Rat CNS White Matter J Neurophysiol, February 1, 2001; 85(2): 900 - 911. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Olson, A. Picones, and J. I. Korenbrot Developmental Switch in Excitability, Ca2+ and K+ Currents of Retinal Ganglion Cells and Their Dendritic Structure J Neurophysiol, October 1, 2000; 84(4): 2063 - 2077. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. M. Blalock, N. M. Porter, and P. W. Landfield Decreased G-Protein-Mediated Regulation and Shift in Calcium Channel Types with Age in Hippocampal Cultures J. Neurosci., October 1, 1999; 19(19): 8674 - 8684. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help