Silent voltage-gated potassium channel subunits (KVS) interact selectively with members of the KV2 channel family to modify their functional properties. The localization and functional roles of these ...silent subunits remain poorly understood. Mutations in the KVS subunit, KV8.2 (KCNV2), lead to severe visual impairment in humans, but the basis of these deficits remains unclear. Here, we examined the localization, native interactions, and functional properties of KV8.2-containing channels in mouse, macaque, and human photoreceptors of either sex. In human retina, KV8.2 colocalized with KV2.1 and KV2.2 in cone inner segments and with KV2.1 in rod inner segments. KV2.1 and KV2.2 could be coimmunoprecipitated with KV8.2 in retinal lysates indicating that these subunits likely interact directly. Retinal KV2.1 was less phosphorylated than cortical KV2.1, a difference expected to alter the biophysical properties of these channels. Using voltage-clamp recordings and pharmacology, we provide functional evidence for Kv2-containing channels in primate rods and cones. We propose that the presence of KV8.2, and low levels of KV2.1 phosphorylation shift the activation range of KV2 channels to align with the operating range of rod and cone photoreceptors. Our data indicate a role for KV2/KV8.2 channels in human photoreceptor function and suggest that the visual deficits in patients with KCNV2 mutations arise from inadequate resting activation of KV channels in rod and cone inner segments.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mutations in a voltage-gated potassium channel subunit, KV8.2, underlie a blinding inherited photoreceptor dystrophy, indicating an important role for these channels in human vision. Here, we have defined the localization and subunit interactions of KV8.2 channels in primate photoreceptors. We show that the KV8.2 subunit interacts with different Kv2 channels in rods and cones, giving rise to potassium currents with distinct functional properties. Our results provide a molecular basis for retinal dysfunction in patients with mutations in the KCNV2 gene encoding KV8.2.
In the primate visual system, the ganglion cells of the magnocellular pathway underlie motion and flicker detection and are relatively transient, while the more sustained ganglion cells of the ...parvocellular pathway have comparatively lower temporal resolution, but encode higher spatial frequencies. Although it is presumed that functional differences in bipolar cells contribute to the tuning of the two pathways, the properties of the relevant bipolar cells have not yet been examined in detail. Here, by making patch-clamp recordings in acute slices of macaque retina, we show that the bipolar cells within the magnocellular pathway, but not the parvocellular pathway, exhibit voltage-gated sodium (NaV), T-type calcium (CaV), and hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) currents, and can generate action potentials. Using immunohistochemistry in macaque and human retinae, we show that NaV1.1 is concentrated in an axon initial segment (AIS)-like region of magnocellular pathway bipolar cells, a specialization not seen in transient bipolar cells of other vertebrates. In contrast, CaV3.1 channels were localized to the somatodendritic compartment and proximal axon, but were excluded from the AIS, while HCN1 channels were concentrated in the axon terminal boutons. Simulations using a compartmental model reproduced physiological results and indicate that magnocellular pathway bipolar cells initiate spikes in the AIS. Finally, we demonstrate that NaV channels in bipolar cells augment excitatory input to parasol ganglion cells of the magnocellular pathway. Overall, the results demonstrate that selective expression of voltage-gated channels contributes to the establishment of parallel processing in the major visual pathways of the primate retina.
Photoreceptor degenerations can trigger morphological alterations in second‐order neurons, however, the functional implications of such changes are not well known. We conducted a longitudinal study, ...using whole‐cell patch‐clamp, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy to correlate physiological with anatomical changes in bipolar cells of the rd10 mouse – a model of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa. Rod bipolar cells (RBCs) showed progressive changes in mGluR6‐induced currents with advancing rod photoreceptor degeneration. Significant changes in response amplitude and kinetics were observed as early as postnatal day (P)20, and by P45 the response amplitudes were reduced by 91%, and then remained relatively stable until 6 months. These functional changes correlated with the loss of rod photoreceptors and mGluR6 receptor expression. Moreover, we showed that RBCs make transient ectopic connections with cones during progression of the disease. At P45, ON‐cone bipolar cells (ON‐CBCs) retain mGluR6 responses for longer periods than the RBCs, but by about 6 months these cells also strongly downregulate mGluR6 expression. We propose that the relative longevity of mGluR6 responses in CBCs is due to the slower loss of the cones. In contrast, ionotropic glutamate receptor expression and function in OFF‐CBCs remains normal at 6 months despite the loss of synaptic input from cones. Thus, glutamate receptor expression is differentially regulated in bipolar cells, with the metabotropic receptors being absolutely dependent on synaptic input. These findings define the temporal window over which bipolar cells may be receptive to photoreceptor repair or replacement.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Visual signals are segregated into parallel pathways at the first synapse in the retina between cones and bipolar cells. Within the OFF pathways of mammals, the selective expression of AMPA or ...kainate-type glutamate receptors in the dendrites of different OFF-bipolar cell types is thought to contribute to formation of distinct temporal channels. AMPA receptors, with rapid recovery from desensitization, are proposed to transmit high temporal frequency signals, whereas kainate receptors (KARs) are presumed to encode lower temporal frequencies. Here we studied the glutamate receptors expressed by OFF-bipolar cells in slice preparations of macaque monkey retina, where the low (midget/parvocellular) and high-frequency (parasol/magnocellular) temporal channels are well characterized. We found that all OFF-bipolar types receive input primarily through KARs and that KAR antagonists block light-evoked input to both OFF-midget and OFF-parasol ganglion cells. KAR subunits were differentially expressed in OFF-bipolar types; the diffuse bipolar (DB) cells, DB2 and DB3b, expressed GluK1 and showed transient responses to glutamate and the KAR agonist, ATPA. In contrast, flat midget bipolar, DB1, and DB3a cells lacked GluK1 and showed relatively sustained responses. Finally, we found that the KAR accessory protein, Neto1, is expressed at the base of cone pedicles but is not colocalized with the GluK1 subunit. In summary, the results indicate that transient signaling in the OFF pathway of macaques is not dependent on AMPA receptors and that heterogeneity of KARs and accessory proteins may contribute to the formation of parallel temporal channels.
Photoreceptor degeneration differentially impacts glutamatergic signaling in downstream On and Off bipolar cells. In rodent models, photoreceptor degeneration leads to loss of glutamatergic signaling ...in On bipolar cells, whereas Off bipolar cells appear to retain glutamate sensitivity, even after extensive photoreceptor loss. The localization and identity of the receptors that mediate these residual glutamate responses in Off bipolar cells have not been determined. Recent studies show that macaque and mouse Off bipolar cells receive glutamatergic input primarily through kainate-type glutamate receptors. Here, we studied the impact of photoreceptor degeneration on glutamate receptor and their associated proteins in Off and On bipolar cells. We show that the kainate receptor subunit, GluK1, persists in remodeled Off bipolar cell dendrites of the rd10 mouse retina. However, the pattern of expression is altered and the intensity of staining is reduced compared to wild-type retina. The kainate receptor auxiliary subunit, Neto1, also remains in Off bipolar cell dendrites after extensive photoreceptor degeneration. Similar preservation of kainate receptor subunits was evident in human retina in which photoreceptors had degenerated due to serous retinal detachment. In contrast, photoreceptor degeneration leads to loss of synaptic expression of TRPM1 in mouse and human On bipolar cells, but strong somatic expression remains. These findings demonstrate that Off bipolar cells retain dendritic glutamate receptors during retinal degeneration and could thus serve as a conduit for signal transmission from transplanted or optogenetically restored photoreceptors.
To study the role of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 (mGluR8), mice lacking this receptor were generated by homologous recombination. Homozygous mGluR8‐deficient mice are about 8% heavier than ...their wild‐type age‐matched controls after reaching 4 weeks of age. This weight difference is not caused by an altered food intake and is not exacerbated by feeding the animals a high‐fat diet. Moreover, mGluR8–/– mice are mildly insulin resistant, possibly as a result of being overweight. Behavioral testing revealed a reduced locomotor activity of mGluR8–/– mice compared with wild‐type mice during the first 3 days in a novel enclosed environment. However after 3 days, the locomotor activities of wild‐type and mGluR8–/– mice were similar, suggesting a reduced exploratory behavior of mGluR8–/– mice in a novel enclosed environment. By contrast, there were no genotype differences in locomotor activity in the open field, plus maze, or in total time spent exploring objects during object recognition tests, indicating that there is a dissociation between effects of mGluR8 deficiency in exploratory activity in a novel safe enclosed environment vs. a more anxiogenic novel open environment. The absence of mGluR8 also leads to increased measures of anxiety in the open field and elevated plus maze. Whether the diverse phenotypic differences observed in mGluR8–/– mice result from the misregulation of a unique neural pathway, possibly in the thalamus or hypothalamus, or whether they are the consequence of multiple developmental and functional alterations in synaptic transmission, remains to be determined.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Silent voltage-gated potassium channel subunits (KVS) interact selectively with members of the KV2 channel family to modify their functional properties. The localization and functional roles of these ...silent subunits remain poorly understood. Mutations in the KVS subunit, KV8.2 (KCNV2), lead to severe visual impairment in humans, but the basis of these deficits remains unclear. Here, we examined the localization, native interactions, and functional properties of KV8.2-containing channels in mouse, macaque, and human photoreceptors of either sex. In human retina, KV8.2 colocalized with KV2.1 and KV2.2 in cone inner segments and with KV2.1 in rod inner segments. KV2.1 and KV2.2 could be coimmunoprecipitated with KV8.2 in retinal lysates indicating that these subunits likely interact directly. Retinal KV2.1 was less phosphorylated than cortical KV2.1, a difference expected to alter the biophysical properties of these channels. Using voltage-clamp recordings and pharmacology, we provide functional evidence for KV2-containing channels in primate rods and cones. We propose that the presence of KV8.2, and low levels of KV2.1 phosphorylation shift the activation range of KV2 channels to align with the operating range of rod and cone photoreceptors. Our data indicate a role for KV2/KV8.2 channels in human photoreceptor function and suggest that the visual deficits in patients with KCNV2 mutations arise from inadequate resting activation of KV channels in rod and cone inner segments. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Mutations in a voltage-gated potassium channel subunit, KV8.2, underlie a blinding inherited photoreceptor dystrophy, indicating an important role for these channels in human vision. Here, we have defined the localization and subunit interactions of KV8.2 channels in primate photoreceptors. We show that the KV8.2 subunit interacts with different KV2 channels in rods and cones, giving rise to potassium currents with distinct functional properties. Our results provide a molecular basis for retinal dysfunction in patients with mutations in the KCNV2 gene encoding KV8.2.
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