CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Assesing A1 receptor expression changes in the retina throughout continuous illumination Soliño M, López EM, Martignone N, Girardi E and López-Costa JJ. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia ¨Prof. E. De Robertis¨; Facultad de Medicina, UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA. Continuous illumination (CI) of rat retina produces photoreceptor degeneration which resembles human retinal degenerative diseases: Age-related Macular Disease (AMD) and Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). AMD represents the first cause of acquired blindness in the developed countries. In order to shed some light on the processes underlying this pathology and to asses a possible therapeutic target we measured the level of expression of A1 receptor by Immunocytochemistry (ICC) and Western Blot (WB) techniques. Sprague Dawley rats were submitted to CI (12000 lux) during 1, 2, 5 and 7 days. The eyes of the animals were removed and processed either by ICC or by by WB. Both techniques were performed using an A1 receptor antibody (Santa Cruz). Immunocytochemical results showed immunoreactivity in nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, the inner portion of the inner nuclear layer and photoreceptor cell layer. Quantification showed a shift in the reactivity in all layers. A one way ANOVA (P<0,0001) of the results showed a significant increase in the optic density (OD) throughout all retinal layers at day 1 and day 7 of CI. The average OD maintains a steady level between 1, 2 and 5 days of CI. The WB studies also showed an increase of A1 receptor levels compared to control levels from day 1 to day 7 when the maximum relative densitywas obtained. Given the location on cellular types that are key players in the modulation of visual pathway in the retina, A1R seems a likely target for future therapies.