Interactions between enkephalin and GABA in avian retina

Abstract

In addition to conventional neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine, dopamine, glycine and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)^1,2, a number of peptide-immunoreactive substances have recently been localized in the vertebrate retina^3,4. The functional roles of these retinal peptides and their interactions with conventional neurotransmitters are largely unknown. We have previously shown that exogenous opiates affect both the release of GABA and the firing patterns of ganglion cells in the goldfish retina⁵, and we have now begun a systematic characterization of the opioid pathways in the chicken retina, because, among vertebrate retinas, avian retinas contain the highest concentration of enkephalins⁶. Monoclonal antibodies specific for enkephalin have been used to demonstrate that a subpopulation of enkephalin-containing amacrine cells exists in the chicken retina^6,7. This retina also synthesizes Met⁵-enkephalin and releases it on cell depolarization^6,8,9. The enkephalin-induced inhibition of GABA release in goldfish retina⁵ led us to examine whether similar interactions occur in chicken, and if so, whether enkephalins and GABA coexist in the same amacrine cells. Our results, presented here, indicate that exogenous enkephalins do indeed inhibit GABA release in the chicken retina. Surprisingly, we found that although some amacrine cells contain both enkephalin and GABA, others contain only one or the other.