Synaptic Specializations of Melanopsin-Retinal Ganglion Cells in Multiple Brain Regions Revealed by Genetic Label for Light and Electron Microscopy

Publication date: 15 October 2019Source: Cell Reports, Volume 29, Issue 3Author(s): Keun-Young Kim, Luis C. Rios, Hiep Le, Alex J. Perez, Sébastien Phan, Eric A. Bushong, Thomas J. Deerinck, Yu Hsin Liu, Maya A. Ellisman, Varda Lev-Ram, Suyeon Ju, Sneha A. Panda, Sanghee Yoon, Masatoshi Hirayama, Ludovic S. Mure, Megumi Hatori, Mark H. Ellisman, Satchidananda PandaSummaryThe form and synaptic fine structure of melanopsin-expressing retinal ganglion cells, also called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), were determined using a new membrane-targeted version of a genetic probe for correlated light and electron microscopy (CLEM). ipRGCs project to multiple brain regions, and because the method labels the entire neuron, it was possible to analyze nerve terminals in multiple retinorecipient brain regions, including the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), olivary pretectal nucleus (OPN), and subregions of the lateral geniculate. Although ipRGCs provide the only direct retinal input to the OPN and SCN, ipRGC terminal arbors and boutons were found to be remarkably different in each target region. A network of dendro-dendritic chemical synapses (DDCSs) was also revealed in the SCN, with ipRGC axon terminals preferentially synapsing on the DDCS-linked cells. The methods developed to enable this analysis should propel other CLEM studies of long-distance brain circuits at high resolution.Graphical Abstract
Source: Cell Reports - Category: Cytology Source Type: research