N-acetylaspartylglutamate immunoreactivity in neurons of the cat's visual system.

The acidic dipeptide, N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) was identified immunohistochemically within neurons of the cat's visual system. In the retina, NAAG-like immunoreactivity was observed in some horizontal and amacrine cells at the inner and outer margins of the bipolar cell layer. NAAG-like immunoreactivity was also observed in many retinal ganglion cell bodies, their neurites, and the neuropil of their target areas, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and the superior colliculus. Additionally, peptide immunoreactivity was also seen in the projection neurons of the LGN, in cells of the pulvinar nucleus, and in the pyramidal cells of layers III and V in areas 17, 18 and 19 of the cerebral cortex. These data suggest that NAAG or a structurally related molecule may have a prominent role in the communication of visual signals at retinal, thalamic and cortical levels.