Distribution and development of P2Y1-purinoceptors in the mouse retina

There is increasing evidence that ATP acts on purinergic receptors and mediates synaptic transmission in the retina. In a previous study, we raised the possibility that P2X-purinoceptors, presumably P2X2-purinoceptors in OFF-cholinergic amacrine cells, play a key role in the formation of OFF pathway-specific modulation. In this study, we examined whether the P2Y1-purinoceptors can function in cholinergic amacrine cells in the mouse retina since cholinergic amacrine cells in the rat retina express P2Y1-purinoceptors. P2Y1-purinoceptors were shown to be expressed in dendrites of both ON- and OFF-cholinergic amacrine cells in adults. At postnatal day 7, there was immunoreactivity for P2Y1-purinoceptors in the soma of cholinergic amacrine cells. At postnatal day 14, weak immunoreactivity for P2Y1-purinoceptors was detected in the dendrites but not in the soma of cholinergic amacrine cells. At postnatal day 21, strong immunoreactivity for P2Y1-purinoceptors was detected in dendrites of cholinergic amacrine cells. The expression pattern of P2Y1-purinoceptors was not affected by visual experience. We concluded that P2Y1-purinoceptors are not involved in the OFF-pathway-specific signal transmission in cholinergic amacrine cells of the mouse retina.