Characterization of Zebrafish Green Cone Photoresponse Recorded with Pressure-Polished Patch Pipettes, Yielding Efficient Intracellular Dialysis

PLoS One. 2015 Oct 29;10(10):e0141727. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141727. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

The phototransduction enzymatic cascade in cones is less understood than in rods, and the zebrafish is an ideal model with which to investigate vertebrate and human vision. Therefore, here, for the first time, the zebrafish green cone photoresponse is characterized also to obtain a firm basis for evaluating how it is modulated by exogenous molecules. To this aim, a powerful method was developed to obtain long-lasting recordings with low access resistance, employing pressure-polished patch pipettes. This method also enabled fast, efficient delivery of molecules via a perfusion system coupled with pulled quartz or plastic perfusion tubes, inserted very close to the enlarged pipette tip. Sub-saturating flashes elicited responses in different cells with similar rising phase kinetics but with very different recovery kinetics, suggesting the existence of physiologically distinct cones having different Ca2+ dynamics. Theoretical considerations demonstrate that the different recovery kinetics can be modelled by simulating changes in the Ca2+-buffering capacity of the outer segment. Importantly, the Ca2+-buffer action preserves the fast response rising phase, when the Ca2+-dependent negative feedback is activated by the light-induced decline in intracellular Ca2+.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Electrophysiological Phenomena
  • Light
  • Light Signal Transduction* / radiation effects
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / physiology*
  • Zebrafish

Substances

  • Calcium

Grants and funding

This study was supported by Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MIUR), Roma, Italy, Project PRIN 2008 (Progetti di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale), web: http://prin.miur.it/ (GR); University of Ferrara, Project FAR 2008–2012 (Fondi di Ateneo per la Ricerca), web: http://www.unife.it/ricerca/finanziamenti-gestione/far (GR). These two funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.