Ancient origin of the rod bipolar cell pathway in the vertebrate retina.

ABSTRACT: Vertebrates rely on rod photoreceptors for vision in low-light conditions¹. Mammals have a specialized downstream circuit for rod signaling called the primary rod pathway, which comprises specific cell types and wiring patterns that are thought to be unique to this lineage^2-6. Thus, it has been long assumed that the primary rod pathway evolved in mammals^3,5-7. Here, we challenge this view by demonstrating that the mammalian primary rod pathway is conserved in zebrafish, which diverged from extant mammals ~400 million years ago. Using single-cell RNA-sequencing, we identified two bipolar cell (BC) types in zebrafish that are related to mammalian rod BCs (RBCs) of the primary rod pathway. By combining electrophysiology, histology, and ultrastructural reconstr

SUBMITTER: Hellevik AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10525478 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature