Microcircuits for night vision in mouse retina

Because the mouse retina has become an important model system, we have begu n to identify its specific neuron types and their synaptic connections. Her e, based on electron micrographs of serial sections, we report that the wil d-type mouse retina expresses the standard rod pathways known in other mamm als: (1) rod --> cone (via gap junctions) to inject rod signals into the co ne bipolar circuit; and (2) rod --> rod bipolar --> All amacrine --> cone b ipolar --> ganglion cell. The mouse also expresses another rod circuit: a b ipolar cell with cone input also receives rod input at symmetrical contacts that express ionotropic glutamate receptors (Hack et al., 1999, 2001). We show that this rod-cone bipolar cell sends an axon to the outer (OFF) strat a of the inner plexiform layer to form ribbon synapses with ganglion and am acrine cells. This rod-cone bipolar cell receives direct contacts from only 20% of all rod terminals. However, we also found that rod terminals form g ap junctions with each other and thus establish partial syncytia that could pool rod signals for direct chemical transmission to the OFF bipolar cell. This third rod pathway probably explains the rod responses that persist in OFF ganglion cells after the well known rod pathways are blocked (Soucy et al., 1998).