Ta. Blute et al., Localization of natriuretic peptides and their activation of particulate guanylate cyclase and nitric oxide synthase in the retina, J COMP NEUR, 424(4), 2000, pp. 689-700
In the vertebrate retina, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) mediates ph
otoreceptor signal transduction and modulates ion channel and gap junction
conductivity. Although most previous studies have focused on its synthesis
by nitric oxide (NO)-sensitive soluble guanylate cyclase, cGMP is also synt
hesized by NO-insensitive particulate guanylate cyclases (pGC). Natriuretic
peptides and their associated pGC-coupled receptors have been reported in
retina, but few studies have localized these natriuretic peptides or pGCs t
o specific retinal cells or demonstrated that activation of pGCs by natriur
etic peptides increases cGMP synthesis. In this study, we immunocytochemica
lly localized atrial, brain, and C-type natriuretic peptide-like immunoreac
tivity (ANP-LI, BNP-LI, and CNP-LI, respectively) in turtle retina by using
isoform specific antisera, and determined the ability of each natriuretic
peptide isoform to increase cGMP-like immunoreactivity (cGMP-LI) in retinal
cells. ANP-LI and CNP-LI were localized in sparsely distributed amacrine c
ells with thin, intermittently varicose processes in the inner plexiform la
yer. BNP-LI was localized to abundant somata in the inner nuclear and gangl
ion cell layers and in specific amacrine and horizontal cells. Stimulation
of turtle eyecups with each of these natriuretic peptides increased cGMP-LI
in multistratified amacrine cells by means of NO-independent mechanisms in
the central retina, and in select amacrine and bipolar cells in the periph
eral retina by a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. These results indicate t
hat natriuretic peptides can modulate the synthesis of cGMP in select retin
al neurons by two distinct signal transduction pathways in a regionally spe
cific manner. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.