Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To examine the expression of a phosphorylation-sensitive epitope of the glutamate transporter GLT-1 in human AMD retinae. Methods: Retinae from post-mortem human donor eyes from Lions Eye Banks in Australia and USA were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde (1-2 hours). Vibratome sections (40 microns thickness) were immuno-peroxidase-labelled for GLT-1 using our previously characterised antibodies, labelling being revealed using DAB as a chromogen. Results: We demonstrate that whereas previously published studies on human and other mammalian retinae have localised splice variants of GLT-1 to photoreceptors, bipolar cells and some amacrine cells, we now observe, in AMD retinae, that an antibody which usually labels photoreceptors, reveals the presence of strong GLT-1 immunoreactivity in the plasma-membranes of retinal ganglion cells throughout the AMD retina. Conclusions: We conclude that the unusual expression of GLT-1 in retinal ganglion cells in AMD retinae may represent a previously unreported component of the pathology of the disease and may be indicative of underlying glutamate stress in this disease state.
Keywords: ganglion cells • neurotransmitters/neurotransmitter systems • age-related macular degeneration