On and Off Retinal Circuit Assembly by Divergent Molecular Mechanisms

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 342; no. 6158; p. 590
• Main Authors: Sun, Lu O., Jiang, Zheng, Rivlin-Etzion, Michal, Hand, Randal, Brady, Colleen M., Matsuoka, Ryota L., Yau, King-Wai, Feller, Maria B., Kolodkin, Alex L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Association for the Advancement of Science 01-11-2013; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Amacrine cells; Amacrine Cells - cytology; Amacrine Cells - metabolism; Amacrine Cells - physiology; Animals; Assembly; Biological and medical sciences; Cellular; Circuits; Dendrites - metabolism; Dendrites - physiology; Exhibits; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Ganglia; Light; Mice; Mice, Mutant Strains; Molecular biology; Motion; Motion Perception; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Nerve Tissue Proteins - metabolism; Neurons; Receptors; Receptors, Cell Surface - genetics; Receptors, Cell Surface - metabolism; RESEARCH ARTICLE SUMMARY; Retina; Retina - metabolism; Retina - physiology; Semaphorins - genetics; Semaphorins - metabolism; Signal Transduction; Sun; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual Stimuli; Wiring; Eye; Visual system; Retina; Molecular assembly
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1241974

Direction-selective responses to motion can be to the onset (On) or cessation (Off) of illumination. Here, we show that the transmembrane protein semaphorin 6A and its receptor plexin A2 are critical for achieving radially symmetric arborization of On starburst amacrine cell (SAC) dendrites and normal SAC stratification in the mouse retina. Plexin A2 is expressed in both On and Off SACs; however, semaphorin 6A is expressed in On SACs. Specific On-Off bistratified direction-selective ganglion cells in semaphorin 6A(-/-) mutants exhibit decreased tuning of On directional motion responses. These results correlate the elaboration of symmetric SAC dendritic morphology and asymmetric responses to motion, shedding light on the development of visual pathways that use the same cell types for divergent outputs.