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The bovine rod outer segment guanylate cyclase, ROS-GC, is present in both outer segment and synaptic layers of the retina

Journal of Molecular Neuroscience volume 6, pages 211–222 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Cyclic-GMP, which plays a pivotal role in visual transduction in the vertebrate retina, is synthesized by guanylate cyclase. The purpose of this study was to localize a rod outer segment-derived particulate guanylate cyclase (ROS-GC) to the retina of several species that have different populations of rods and cones. A rabbit antibody was raised against a synthetic peptide, corresponding to the sequence A107-L125 of bovine ROS-GC.

Western blot analysis showed a single immunoreactive band at about 115 kDa with bovine rod outer segments but not with human rod outer segments. Light microscopic immunocytochemistry of tissue sections revealed immunoreactivity in the outer segment layer and in the outer and inner plexiform layers. The rod-rich rat retina showed uniform immunolabeling of outer segments; the cone-containing cat retina showed heavily labeled cone outer segments and lighter labeling of rod outer segments; the cone-rich chicken retina showed a uniformly and intensely labeled outer segment layer. Preincubation of the primary antibody with the peptide completely blocked antibody binding.

Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry of the cat retina confirmed the presence of guanylate cyclase in photoreceptor outer segments and demonstrated its association with disk and plasma membranes. These data support a concept in which guanylate cyclase is much more concentrated in the outer segments of cones than rods. The immunolabeling of the plexiform layers suggests that the particulate guanylate cyclase is not unique to the photoreceptor outer segments, and may also play a role in transduction processes of retinal synapses.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY

    Nigel Cooper

  2. Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY

    Nigel Cooper & Ling Liu

  3. Eye Research Institute, Oakland University, Rochester, MI

    Akiko Yoshida, Nikolay Pozdnyakov, Alexander Margulis & Ari Sitaramayya

Authors
  1. Nigel Cooper
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  2. Ling Liu
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  3. Akiko Yoshida
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  4. Nikolay Pozdnyakov
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  5. Alexander Margulis
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  6. Ari Sitaramayya
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Cooper, N., Liu, L., Yoshida, A. et al. The bovine rod outer segment guanylate cyclase, ROS-GC, is present in both outer segment and synaptic layers of the retina. J Mol Neurosci 6, 211–222 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02736766

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02736766

Index Entries

  • ROS-GC
  • RetGC
  • cGMP
  • visual transduction
  • second messenger