Abstract
In the teleost retina, cone horizontal cells receive extensive innervation from dopaminergic interplexiform cells1, and possess dopamine receptors whose activation stimulates adenylate cyclase2,3. Exogenously applied dopamine modifies several aspects of horizontal cell activity in the intact retina, including the responsiveness of these neurons to light4–6 and the strength of electrical coupling between them7–9. We have used whole-cell voltage clamp methods to examine whether dopamine can alter the light-responsiveness of horizontal cells by changing their sensitivity to the neurotransmitter released by the photoreceptors. We report that dopamine and cyclic AMP, although having little direct effect on resting membrane conductance, greatly enhance ionic conductances gated by kainate, an agonist of the transmitter released by the photoreceptors, and by L-glutamate, the agent proposed to be the photoreceptor transmitter10–14. Our results provide the first direct evidence for dopaminergic regulation of excitatory amino-acid neurotransmission in the vertebrate nervous system and suggest a possible mechanism to explain the reduction in the responsiveness of horizontal cells observed when retinas are treated with dopamine.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dowling, J. E. & Ehinger, B. Proc. R. Soc. B201, 7–26 (1978).
Van Buskirk, R. & Dowling, J. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 7825–7829 (1981).
O'Conner, P., Dorison, S., Watling, K. J. & Dowling, J. E. J. Neurosci. 6, 1857–1865 (1986).
Hedden, W. L. & Dowling, J. E. Proc. R. Soc. B201, 27–55 (1978).
Mangel, S. C. & Dowling, J. E. Science 229, 1107–1109 (1985).
Yang, X.-L., Tornqvist, K. & Dowling, J. E. Invest. Ophthal. vis. Sci. 27, 282 (1986).
Teranishi, T., Negishi, K. & Kato, S. Nature 301, 243–246 (1983).
Piccolino, M., Neyton, J. & Gerschenfeld, H. M. J. Neurosci. 4, 2477–2488 (1984).
Lasater, E. M., & Dowling, J. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 3025–3029 (1985).
Murakami, M., Ohtsu, K. & Ohtsuka, T. J. Physiol., Land. 227, 889–913 (1972).
Slaughter, M. M. & Miller, R. F. Science 211, 182–185 (1981).
Ishida, A. T. & Fain, G. F. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 5890–5894 (1981).
Lasater, E. M. & Dowling, J. E. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79, 936–940 (1982).
Miller, A. M. & Schwartz, E. A. J. Physiol. Lond. 334, 325–349 (1983).
Dowling, J. E., Pak, M. & Lasater, E. M. Brain Res. 360, 331–338 (1985).
Ishida, A. T. & Neyton, J. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 82, 1837–1841 (1985).
Hamill, O. P., Marty, A., Neher, E., Sakmann, B. & Sigworth, F. J. Pflügers Arch ges. Physiol. 391, 85–100 (1981).
Marty, A. & Neher, E. in Single Channel Recording (eds Sakmann, B. & Neher, E.) 107–122 (Plenum, New York, 1983).
Lasater, E. M. J. Neurophysiol. 55, 499–513 (1986).
Tachibana, M. J. Physiol., Lond. 358, 153–167 (1985).
Watling, K. J., Parkinson, D. & Dowling, J. E. Brain Res. 253, 334–336 (1982).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Knapp, A., Dowling, J. Dopamine enhances excitatory amino acid-gated conductances in cultured retinal horizontal cells. Nature 325, 437–439 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/325437a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/325437a0
This article is cited by
-
Visuomotor deficiency in panx1a knockout zebrafish is linked to dopaminergic signaling
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
Role of dopamine in distal retina
Journal of Comparative Physiology A (2014)
-
Pathophysiology of perinatal asphyxia: can we predict and improve individual outcomes?
EPMA Journal (2011)
-
Dopamine in the Turkey Retina—An Impact of Environmental Light, Circadian Clock, and Melatonin
Journal of Molecular Neuroscience (2009)
-
Direct inhibition of the N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor channel by dopamine and (+)‐SKF38393
British Journal of Pharmacology (1999)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.