Immunocytochemical and biochemical localization of parvalbumin in the retina.

The cellular distribution of parvalbumin-like immunoreactivity (PA-LI) in normal retina of rat, monkey, and human was investigated by immunohistochemical peroxidase-antiperoxidase methods, and the levels of PA-LI in normal rat retina and brain were measured by radioimmunoassay. The antibody, raised in rabbits using rat skeletal muscle parvalbumin, did not cross-react with other Ca2+-binding proteins such as calmodulin or S-100 proteins. In rat retina, PA-LI-containing cells are located in the proximal inner nuclear layer and send processes to the external half of the internal plexiform layer, suggesting that they are amacrine cells. In monkey and human retina, PA-LI-positive cells exist in the outermost sublayer of inner nuclear layer, and PA-LI-containing fibers that extend horizontally are found in the internal zone of outer plexiform layer. The radioimmunoassay revealed that the rat retina contained 1710 +/- 91 ng PA-LI/mg protein, the levels of which were higher than that of brain (881 +/- 165 ng PA-LI/mg protein). These results show an additional location for PA-LI outside skeletal muscle and brain, and also provide information on the function of interneurons of retina, which are still poorly understood.