Dopamine and 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate differentially modify spectral responses of H1 horizontal cells in carp retina.

Cone-driven external H1 horizontal cells (H1 HCs) in the cyprinid fish retina hyperpolarize in response to all visible lights, and their synaptic inputs have been widely believed to be excitatory. Recent experiments indicate, however, that short- and long-lambda (wavelength)-sensitive cone photoreceptors have different types of synaptic mechanisms; a conductance-decreasing, sign-reversing and short-lambda-mediating type, and a more conventional conductance-increasing class of excitatory (sign-conserving) synapse transmitting mainly long-lambda signals to H1 HCs. Here, a new set of evidence is presented for such spectrally segregated synaptic multiplicity, which also supports the notion that H1 HCs are actually color-opponent units where the depolarizing response component due to short-lambda-sensitive cones is normally overshadowed by the dominant hyperpolarizing component ascribed to long-lambda-mediating synaptic inputs. Application of dopamine to the retina preferentially enhanced the H1 HC responses to long-lambda flashes, and also depolarized the resting membrane potential in the dark. The spectral response was also examined after applying APB (2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid), in the presence of dopamine included to avoid polysynaptic effects of APB. This treatment enhanced the H1 HC responses to short-lambda stimuli and hyperpolarized the resting potential. These results are consistent with the suggestion that dopamine potentiates the conductance-increasing and long-lambda-mediating excitatory transmitter action, whereas APB acts as an agonist at the receptor involved in the conductance-decreasing and short-lambda-mediating transmitter action.