Table 1.

Rod and cone inputs to somata and axon terminals of the mice used in this study

SomaAxon terminal
Wild typerod + conerod + cone
Rhodopsin−/−conecone
CNGA3−/−rodrod
Cx36−/−?rod + cone
CNGA3−/−/Cx36−/−rod
  • The photoreceptor contributions to the somatic light responses in the Cx36-deficient retinas could not be determined because the wild-type light responses were strongly dominated by cone inputs. However, the complete lack of light responses in the somata of CNGA3/Cx36 double knock-out mice indicates that rod signals cannot pass to the horizontal cell somata in the absence of rod–cone coupling.