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A fast rod photoreceptor signaling pathway in the mammalian retina

Abstract

Rod photoreceptors were recently shown to contact 'Off' cone bipolar cells, providing an alternative pathway for rod signal flow in the mammalian retina. By recording from pairs of rods and Off cone bipolar cells in the ground squirrel (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus), we measured the synaptic responses of mammalian rods unfiltered by the slow kinetics of the rod bipolar cell response. We show that vesicle fusion and turnover in mammalian rods is fast, and that this new pathway can mediate rapid signaling.

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Figure 1: Anatomical contacts between rods and b2 Off cone bipolar cells.
Figure 2: Synaptic transmission between rods and b2 bipolar cells.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants (R01EY12141) to S.H.D. and (F32EY017257) to W.L., the National Eye Institute Intramural Research Program to W.L. and S.C., and Research to Prevent Blindness.

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The authors contributed equally to this work.

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Correspondence to Wei Li or Steven H DeVries.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Li, W., Chen, S. & DeVries, S. A fast rod photoreceptor signaling pathway in the mammalian retina. Nat Neurosci 13, 414–416 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.2507

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