Neuron-glia signaling in developing retina mediated by neurotransmitter spillover

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Abstract

Neuron-glia interactions play a critical role in the maturation of neural circuits; however, little is known about the pathways that mediate their communication in the developing CNS. We investigated neuron-glia signaling in the developing retina, where we demonstrate that retinal waves reliably induce calcium transients in Müller glial cells (MCs). During cholinergic waves, MC calcium transients were blocked by muscarinic acetylcholine receptors antagonists, whereas during glutamatergic waves, MC calcium transients were inhibited by ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists, indicating that the responsiveness of MCs changes to match the neurotransmitter used to support retinal waves. Using an optical glutamate sensor we show the decline in MC calcium transients is caused by a reduction in the amount of glutamate reaching MCs. Together, these studies indicate that neurons and MCs exhibit correlated activity during a critical period of retinal maturation that is enabled by neurotransmitter spillover from retinal synapses.

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Juliana M Rosa

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Rémi Bos

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Georgeann S Sack

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Cécile Fortuny

Vision Science Graduate Program , University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Amit Agarwal

Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Dwight E Bergles

Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, United States

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The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
John G Flannery

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Marla B Feller

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, United States

For correspondence
mfeller@berkeley.edu

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

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