Chapter 11 Neuroregulatory functions of adenosine in the retina

Activation of adenosine A3 receptors regulates vitamin C transport and redox balance in neurons

Adenosine is an important neuromodulator in the CNS, regulating neuronal survival and synaptic transmission. The antioxidant ascorbate (the reduced form of vitamin C) is concentrated in CNS neurons through a sodium-dependent transporter named SVCT2 and participates in several CNS processes, for instance, the regulation of glutamate receptors functioning and the synthesis of neuromodulators. Here we studied the interplay between the adenosinergic system and ascorbate transport in neurons. We found that selective activation of A3, but not of A1 or A2a, adenosine receptors modulated ascorbate transport, decreasing intracellular ascorbate content. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses showed that A3 receptors associate with the ascorbate transporter SVCT2, suggesting tight signaling compartmentalization between A3 receptors and SVCT2. The activation of A3 receptors increased ascorbate release in an SVCT2-dependent manner, which largely altered the neuronal redox status without interfering with cell death, glycolytic metabolism, and bioenergetics. Overall, by regulating vitamin C transport, the adenosinergic system (via activation of A3 receptors) can regulate ascorbate bioavailability and control the redox balance in neurons.

Renewal of photoreceptor outer segments and their phagocytosis by the retinal pigment epithelium

The discovery of disc protein renewal in rod outer segments, in 1960s, was followed by the observation that old discs were ingested by the retinal pigment epithelium. This process occurs in both rods and cones and is crucial for their survival. Photoreceptors completely degenerate in the Royal College of Surgeons mutant rat, whose pigment epithelium cannot ingest old discs. The complete renewal process includes the following sequential steps involving both photoreceptor and pigment epithelium activity: new disc assembly and old disc shedding by photoreceptor cells; recognition and binding to pigment epithelium membranes; then ingestion, digestion, and segregation of residual bodies in pigment epithelium cytoplasm. Regulating factors are involved at each step. While disc assembly is mostly genetically controlled, disc shedding and the subsequent pigment epithelium phagocytosis appear regulated by environmental factors (light and temperature). Disc shedding is rhythmically controlled by an eye intrinsic circadian oscillator using endogenous dopamine and melatonin as light and dark signal, respectively. Of special interest is the regulation of phagocytosis by multiple receptors, including specific phagocytosis receptors and receptors for neuroactive substances released from the neuroretina. The candidates for phagocytosis receptors are presented, but it is acknowledged that they are not completely known. The main neuromodulators are adenosine, dopamine, glutamate, serotonin, and melatonin. Although the transduction mechanisms are not fully understood, attention was brought to cyclic AMP, phosphoinositides, and calcium. The chapter points to the multiplicity of regulating factors and the complexity of their intermingling modes of action. Promising areas for future research still exist in this field.

Effects of adenosinergic agents on the vascular resistance and on the optic nerve response in the perfused cat eye

The function of A1- and A2a-adenosine receptors in the control of vascular resistance and in the modulation of light-evoked neuronal activity was investigated in the isolated perfused cat eye. The A1 agonist CCPA, the A1 antagonist CPT, the A2a agonist CGS 21680 and the A2 antagonist DMPX were used. The agents were applied intra-arterially at concentrations in the low nanomolar to micromolar range during rod-selective photic stimulation. The flow rate of perfusate, reflecting vascular resistance and the light-evoked optic nerve response (ONR) were recorded. Our results show a vasodilating effect of both A1 and A2 agonists and a vasoconstricting effect of the respective antagonists. The dose-effect relationships are suggestive, however, of an A2a receptor-mediated mechanism. The amplitude of the ONR-ON component was decreased during application of both adenosine-agonists. Analysis of the dose-effect relationships and the blockade of the CCPA-induced decrease by CPT suggests that inhibition is mediated by A1 receptors. However, CGS 21680-mediated inhibition cannot be explained by unspecific binding at A1 receptors alone and suggests the involvement of inhibitory A2a receptors.

3H-adenosine uptake selectively labels rod horizontal cells in goldfish retina

There are four types of horizontal cell in the goldfish retina, three cone- and one rod-type. The neurotransmitter of only one type, the H1 (cone) horizontal cell, has been identified as GABA. 3H-adenosine uptake was examined as a possible marker for the other classes of horizontal cell. Isolated goldfish retinae were incubated in 3H-adenosine (10-40 microCi) in HEPES-buffered saline for 30 min, then fixed, embedded in plastic, and processed for light-microscopic autoradiography (ARG). For double-label immuno/ARG studies, 1-micron-thick sections were processed for GABA postembed immunocytochemistry, then for ARG. 3H-adenosine uptake was localized to cone photoreceptors, presumed precursor cells in the proximal outer nuclear layer, and to a single, continuous row of horizontal cell bodies in the inner nuclear layer. No uptake was localized to the region of horizontal cell axon terminals. 3H-adenosine uptake did not colocalize with GABA-IR in H1 horizontal cells, but it did colocalize with adenosine deaminase immunoreactivity. It is concluded that 3H-adenosine uptake selectively labels rod horizontal cells in the goldfish retina based on position and staining pattern, which are similar to rod horizontal cells stained by Golgi or HRP injection methods. The use of 3H-adenosine uptake may provide a useful tool to study other properties of rod horizontal cells (i.e. development) as well as provide clues as to the transmitter used by these interneurons.

Characterization and localization of adenosine A2 receptors in bovine rod outer segments

Previous work from this laboratory has shown that retinal adenosine A2 binding sites are localized over outer and inner segments of photoreceptors in rabbit and mouse retinal sections. In the present study, adenosine receptor binding has been characterized and localized in membranes from bovine rod outer segments (ROS). Saturation studies with varying concentrations (10-150 nM) of 5'-(N-[2,8-3H]ethylcarboxamido)adenosine ([3H]NECA) and 100 micrograms of ROS membrane protein show a single site with a KD of 103 nM and a Bmax of 1.3 pM/mg of protein. Cold Scatchards, which used nonradiolabeled NECA (concentrations ranging from 10 nM to 250 microM) in competition with a fixed amount of [3H]NECA (30 nM), demonstrated the presence of a low-affinity site (KD, 50 microM) in addition to the high-affinity site. To confirm the presence of A2a binding sites, saturation analyses with 2-p-(2-[3H]-carboxyethyl)phenylamino-5'-N-ethylcarboxamido adenosine (0-80 nM) also revealed a single population of high-affinity A2a receptors (KD, 9.4 nM). The binding sites labeled by [3H]NECA appear to be A2 receptor sites because binding was displaced by increasing concentrations of 5'-(N-methylcarboxamido)adenosine and 2-chloroadenosine. ROS were fractionated into plasma and disk membranes for localization studies. Receptor binding assays, used to determine specific binding, showed that the greatest concentration of A2 receptors was on the plasma membranes. Therefore, adenosine A2 receptors are in a position to respond to changes in the concentration of extracellular adenosine, which may exhibit a circadian rhythm.