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The Journal of Neuroscience, June 1, 2005, 25(22):5438-5445; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1117-05.2005
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Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
The Primordial, Blue-Cone Color System of the Mouse Retina
Silke Haverkamp,1
Heinz Wässle,1
Jens Duebel,2
Thomas Kuner,3
George J. Augustine,4
Guoping Feng,4 and
Thomas Euler2
1Department of Neuroanatomy, Max-Planck-Institute for Brain Research, D-60528 Frankfurt/Main, Germany, Departments of 2Biomedical Optics and 3Cell Physiology, Max-Planck-Institute for Medical Research, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany, and 4Department of Neurobiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710
Humans and old world primates have trichromatic color vision based on three spectral types of cone [long-wavelength (L-), middle-wavelength (M-), and short-wavelength (S-) cones]. All other placental mammals are dichromats, and their color vision depends on the comparison of L- and S-cone signals; however, their cone-selective retinal circuitry is still unknown. Here, we identified the S-cone-selective (blue cone) bipolar cells of the mouse retina. They were labeled in a transgenic mouse expressing Clomeleon, a chloride-sensitive fluorescent protein, under the control of the thy1 promoter. Blue-cone bipolar cells comprise only 1-2% of the bipolar cell population, and their dendrites selectively contact S-opsin-expressing cones. In the dorsal half of the mouse retina, only 3-5% of the cones express S-opsin, and they are all contacted by blue-cone bipolar cells, whereas all L-opsin-expressing cones ( 95%) are avoided. In the ventral mouse retina, the great majority of cones express both S- and L-opsin. They are not contacted by blue-cone bipolar cells. A minority of ventral cones express S-opsin only, and they are selectively contacted by blue-cone bipolar cells. We suggest that these are genuine S-cones. In contrast to the other cones, their pedicles contain only low amounts of cone arrestin. The blue-cone bipolar cells of the mouse retina and their cone selectivity are closely similar to primate blue-cone bipolars, and we suggest that they both represent the phylogenetically ancient color system of the mammalian retina.
Key words: retina; S-cones; L-cones; color vision; bipolar cells; mice
Received March 22, 2005;
revised April 25, 2005;
accepted April 28, 2005.
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