Localization of NADPH-diaphorase/nitric oxide synthase in the rat retina: an electron microscopic study

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(95)00559-9

Brain Research

Volume 690, Issue 2, 4 September 1995, Pages 231-235

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(95)00559-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

The activity of NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d), a marker for nitric oxide synthase (NOS), was examined histochemically in the rat and mice retina. Mice in which the neuronal NOS gene has been disrupted (nNOS⁻ mice) were used for specificity controls. Light microscopically a few amacrine cells were heavily stained. Other cells were stained weakly or not at all. Under the electron microscope, formazan precipitates were detectable on membranes of endoplasmic reticulum, nuclear envelope, mitochondria, and, in a few cases, the Golgi complex. Bipolar, horizontal, and Mu¨ller cells, were if at all, sparsely labeled with formazan. Labeled mitochondria were observed in rod endings and in inner segments of photoreceptors. Outer segments of photoreceptors and ganglion cells were completely free of reaction product. The NADPH-d reaction in wild-type mice displayed a similar distribution pattern to that in rats. Retinaee of nNOS⁻ mice showed a complete lack of prominent NADPH-d stained (amacrine) cells. Non or a very few labeled membranes were seen.

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NOS has been identified by means of either NOS immunohistochemistry or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-diaphorase histochemistry in the central nervous system, including the retina. In spite of a number of examinations, NOS had not been identified in retinal ganglion cells of adult animals (NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry [39,21,37,38]; nNOS immunohistochemistry [13,55,56,34,12,28,24]; iNOS [28,17,18,22]; eNOS [29]) or animals during postnatal development [34,42,33]. Recent studies have shown that nNOS is localized to retinal ganglion cells of adult animals [43,32,4].
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Localization of NADPH-diaphorase/nitric oxide synthase in the rat retina: an electron microscopic study

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