The Effect of Photoreceptor Degeneration on Ganglion Cell Morphology

Abstract

Retinitis pigmentosa refers to a family of inherited photoreceptor degenerations resulting in blindness. During and after photoreceptor loss, neurons of the inner retina are known to undergo plastic changes. Here, we have investigated in detail whether ganglion cells are altered at late stages of degeneration, well after the total loss of photoreceptors. We used mice, rd1-Thy1, that carry a mutation in the β-subunit of phosphodiesterase 6 and a fluorescent protein that labels a subset of ganglion cells and B6-Thy1 control mice. Retinal wholemounts from mice aged 3-11 months were processed for immunohistochemistry and analyzed. Ganglion cells were classified based on soma area, dendritic fiel..