Stereotyped initiation of retinal waves by bipolar cells via presynaptic NMDA autoreceptors

Rong-wei Zhang (), Xiao-quan Li, Koichi Kawakami and Jiu-lin Du ()
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Rong-wei Zhang: Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiao-quan Li: Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Koichi Kawakami: National Institute of Genetics
Jiu-lin Du: Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Glutamatergic retinal waves, the spontaneous patterned neural activities propagating among developing retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), instruct the activity-dependent refinement of visuotopic maps. However, its initiation and underlying mechanism remain largely elusive. Here using larval zebrafish and multiple in vivo approaches, we discover that bipolar cells (BCs) are responsible for the generation of glutamatergic retinal waves. The wave originates from BC axon terminals (ATs) and propagates laterally to nearby BCs and vertically to downstream RGCs and the optic tectum. Its initiation is triggered by the activation of and consequent glutamate release from BC ATs, and is mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype of glutamate receptors (NMDARs) expressed at these ATs. Intercellular asymmetry of NMDAR expression at BC ATs enables the preferential initiation of waves at the temporal retina, where BC ATs express more NMDARs. Thus, our findings indicate that glutamatergic retinal waves are initiated by BCs through a presynaptic NMDA autoreceptor-dependent process.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12650

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