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Originally published In Press as doi:10.1167/iovs.08-2398 on October 24, 2008
 (Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2009;50:1408-1415.)
© 2009 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
doi:10.1167/iovs.08-2398
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Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunits in Rhesus Monkey Retina

Ji Liu,1 Alice M. McGlinn,1 Alcides Fernandes,2 Ann H. Milam,1 Christianne E. Strang,3 Margot E. Andison,3 Jon M. Lindstrom,4 Kent T. Keyser,3 and Richard A. Stone1

From the Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, and the 1Department of Neurosciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; 4Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; and 2Vision Science Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to detect and establish the cellular localizations of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunits in Rhesus monkey retina.

METHODS. Retinas were dissected from the eyes of monkeys killed after unrelated experiments. RNA was extracted and analyzed by RT-PCR, using primers designed against human sequences of {alpha}3-{alpha}7, {alpha}9, and β2-β4 nAChR subunits. The RT-PCR products were separated by gel electrophoresis and sequenced. Frozen sections of postmortem fixed monkey eyes were immunolabeled with well-characterized and specific monoclonal antibodies against the {alpha}3, {alpha}4, {alpha}6, {alpha}7, β2, or β4 nAChR subunits and visualized with fluorescence labeling.

RESULTS. Products of the predicted size for the {alpha}3-{alpha}7, {alpha}9, and β2-β4 nAChR subunits were detected by RT-PCR in Rhesus monkey retina. Homology between transcripts from monkey retina and human nucleotide sequences ranged from 93 to 99%. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that neurons in various cell layers of monkey retina expressed {alpha}3, {alpha}4, {alpha}7, or β2 nAChR subunits and cells with the morphology of microglia were immunoreactive for the {alpha}6 or β4 nAChR subunits.

CONCLUSIONS. nAChR subunits are expressed in the monkey retina and localize to diverse retinal neurons as well as putative microglia. Besides mediating visual processing, retinal nAChRs may influence refractive development and ocular pathologies such as neovascularization.






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