Amacrine cells with neurotensin- and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities in three species of teleosts with different color vision

Summary

Neurotensin- and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities were localized by pre-embedding techniques in retinal whole-mounts and radial sections of a monochromatic glass catfish (Kryptopterus bicirrhis), a dichromatic cichlid species (Aequidens pulcher), and the tetrachromatic roach (Rutilus rutilus). Both neuropeptides were observed in perikarya and processes of amacrine cells. For a precise identification of cell types, tangential and radial views were correlated with Golgiimpregnated material.

The dendritic pattern defining the morphological subtype of amacrine cells was determined by the given neuropeptide or by the species-specific degree of complexity of retinal structure and function. Neurotensin-like immunoreactivity was localized in amacrine cells of intermediate size, radial symmetry and dendrites with numerous varicosities; they were monostratified in sublayer 3 of the inner plexiform layer. This cell type was common to all three species. In the mono and dichromatic retinas, a single type of amacrine cell with somatostatinlike immunoreactivity was found with radially oriented, varicose dendrites in sublayer 5. In the tetrachromatic roach retina, two somatostatin-positive amacrine cell types were found with very different patterns of ramification; furthermore, both of these types occurred in more than one sublayer.

Possible functional implications for color vision of neuropeptide-specific amacrine cells with uniform morphology in all three species and those with a more varied morphology in the tetrachromatic roach are discussed.