Glutamate transporters are involved in direct inhibitory synaptic transmission in the vertebrate retina

Niklaus, Stephanie; Glasauer, Stella M K; Kovermann, Peter; Farshori, Kulsum F; Cadetti, Lucia; Früh, Simon; Rieser, Nicolas N; Gesemann, Matthias; Zang, Jingjing; Fahlke, Christoph; Neuhauss, Stephan C F

doi:10.1098/rsob.240140

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Niklaus, S., Glasauer, S. M. K., Kovermann, P., Farshori, K. F., Cadetti, L., Früh, S., Rieser, N. N., Gesemann, M., Zang, J., Fahlke, C., & Neuhauss, S. C. F. (2024). Glutamate transporters are involved in direct inhibitory synaptic transmission in the vertebrate retina. Open Biology, 14(7), 240140. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsob.240140

Abstract

In the central nervous system of vertebrates, glutamate serves as the primary excitatory neurotransmitter. However, in the retina, glutamate released from photoreceptors causes hyperpolarization in post-synaptic ON-bipolar cells through a glutamate-gated chloride current, which seems paradoxical. Our research reveals that this current is modulated by two excitatory glutamate transporters, EAAT5b and EAAT7. In the zebrafish retina, these transporters are located at the dendritic tips of ON-bipolar cells and interact with all four types