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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 19, 2007, 27(51):14199-14204; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4934-07.2007

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Brief Communications
Gβ5 Is Required for Normal Light Responses and Morphology of Retinal ON-Bipolar Cells

Anjali Rao,¹ Rebecca Dallman,¹ Scott Henderson,² and Ching-Kang Chen¹

¹Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and ²Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Box 980614, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Room 2–032b, Richmond, VA 23298. Email: cjchen{at}vcu.edu

Gβ5 exists as two splice variants, Gβ5-S and Gβ5-L, which interact with and stabilize the R7 members of the regulators of G-protein signaling (RGSs): RGS6, RGS7, RGS9, and RGS11. Although the role of Gβ5-L and RGS9-1 is established in photoreceptors, the physiological functions of Gβ5-S and other R7 RGS proteins remain unclear. We found that the electroretinogram of Gβ5^–/– mice lacks the b-wave component and that Gβ5-S and RGS11 colocalize with Go at the tips of the ON-bipolar cell dendrites. Unexpectedly, we found a significant reduction in the number of synaptic triads in the outer plexiform layer (OPL) of the Gβ5^–/– mice, which is evident at postnatal day 14. Transgenic expression of Gβ5-L in rods failed to rescue the b-wave or the OPL defects. These results indicate that Gβ5-S is indispensable for OPL integrity and normal light responses of the retina.

Key words: bipolar cells; RGS; retina; Gβ5; morphology; ERG

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Received Jan. 31, 2007; revised Nov. 15, 2007; accepted Nov. 15, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Ching-Kang Jason Chen, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Box 980614, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Room 2–032b, Richmond, VA 23298. Email: cjchen{at}vcu.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Xu, P. Sulaiman, R. M. Feddersen, J. Liu, R. G. Smith, and N. Vardi Retinal ON Bipolar Cells Express a New PCP2 Splice Variant That Accelerates the Light Response J. Neurosci., September 3, 2008; 28(36): 8873 - 8884. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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