Українська English

ISSN 2522-9028 (Print)
ISSN 2522-9036 (Online)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz

Fiziologichnyi Zhurnal

(English title: Physiological Journal)

is a scientific journal issued by the

Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology
National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Editor-in-chief: V.F. Sagach

The journal was founded in 1955 as
1955 – 1977 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0015 – 3311)
1978 – 1993 "Fiziologicheskii zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
1994 – 2016 "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 0201 – 8489)
2017 – "Fiziolohichnyi zhurnal" (ISSN 2522-9028)

Fiziol. Zh. 2025; 71(5S): 68-74

ADVANTAGES OF USING COCULTURES OF DISSOCIATED PRE- AND POSTSYNAPTIC NEURONS FOR STUDIES OF SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION

H.V. Dumanska1, M.S. Veselovsky2

  1. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15407/fz71.05.068


Abstract

This study highlights the advantages of using a coculture of primary dissociated pre- and postsynaptic neurons as an experimental model for investigating the mechanisms of neurotransmission in sensory pathways under normal and pathological conditions. As an example, we present the model of the visual retinocollicular pathway — a coculture of rat retinal cells and neurons of the superficial layers of the superior colliculus (SSC). In this model, each synaptically connected pair of a retinal ganglion cell (RGC) and SSC neuron represents a single fiber of the retinocollicular pathway, allowing study of monosynaptic neurotransmission between precisely identified cells. Moreover, this system enables the combination of paired patch-clamp recordings with fast local superfusion, providing continuous monitoring of monosynaptic retinocollicular neurotransmission under the influence of pharmacological agents or pathological factors with high temporal resolution.

Keywords: coculture of pre- and postsynaptic neurons, synaptic transmission, sensory pathway, paired patch-clamp technique, fast local superfusion, hypoxia

Full text: (PDF, in Ukrainian)

References

  1. Chandrasekaran HR, Plas DT, Gonzales E, Crair MC. Evidence for an instructive role of retinal activity in retinotopic map refinement in the colliculus superior of the mouse. J Neurosci. 2005;25:6929-6938. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  2. Cline HT, Tsien RW. Glutamate-induced increases in intracellular Ca 21 in cultured frog tectal cells mediated by direct activation of NMDA receptor channels. Neuron. 1991;6:259-267. CrossRef.1016/0896-6273(91)90361-3 PubMed
  3. Cline H T, Debski E, Constantine-Paton M. NMDA receptor antagonist desegregates eye-specific stripes. Proc. Nat. Acad. Scie. 1987;84:4342−4345. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  4. Colonnese MT, Shi J, Constantine-Paton M. Chronic NMDA receptor blockade from birth delays the maturation NMDA currents, but does not affect AMPA/ kainite currents. J Neurophysiol. 2003;89:57−68. CrossRef PubMed
  5. Dowling JE. The Retina: an Approachable Part of the Brain. Belknap Press Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge; 1987. p. 20-50.
  6. Dumanska H, Veselovsky N. Short-term hypoxia induces bidirectional pathological long-term plasticity of neurotransmission in visual retinocollicular pathway. Exp Eye Res. 2019;179:25-31. doi: 10.1016/j.exer. 2018.10.014. CrossRef PubMed
  7. Guenther E, Schmid S, Grantyn R and Zrenner E. In vitro identification of retinal ganglion cells in culture without the need of dye labeling. J. Neurosci. Methods. 1993;51:177−181. CrossRef.1016/0165-0270(94)90008-6 PubMed
  8. Li Y, Irwin N, Yin Y, Lanser M, Benowitz LI. Axon regeneration in goldfish and rat retinal ganglion cells: differential responsiveness to carbohydrates and cAMP. J Neurosci. 2003;(21):7830-7838. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  9. Lilley S, Robbins J. The rat retinal ganglion cell in culture: An accessible CNS neurone. J Pharm. Toxicol. Methods. 2004;51:209−220. CrossRef PubMed
  10. Lo FS, Cork RJ, Mize RR. Physiological Properties of Neurons in the Optic Layer of the Rat's Colliculus superior. J Neurophys. 1998;80:331-343. CrossRef PubMed
  11. Lo FS, Mize RR. Synaptic regulation of L-type Ca2+ channel activity and long-term depression during refinement of the retinocollicular pathway in developing rodent colliculus superior. J Neurosci. 2000;20: RC58. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  12. Mayer ML, Westbrook GL, Guthrie PB. Voltage-depended block by Mg2+ of NMDA responses in spinal cord neurons . Nature. 1984;309:261-263. CrossRef PubMed
  13. Mrsic-Flogel DT, Hofer SB, Creutzfeldt C, CloëzTayarani I, Changeux JP, Bonhoeffer T, and Hübener M. Altered map of visual space in the colliculus superior of mice lacking early retinal waves. J Neurosci. 2005;25:6921−6928. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  14. Nowak L, Bregestovski P, Ascher P, Herbet A, Prochiantz A. Magnesium gates glutamate-activated channels in mouse central neurons. Nature. 1984;307:462−465. CrossRef PubMed
  15. Razak KA, Huang L, Pallas SL. NMDA receptor blockade in the colliculus superior increases receptive field size without altering velocity and size tuning. J Neurophysiol. 2003;90:110-119. CrossRef PubMed
  16. Shah RD, Crair MC. Mechanisms of response homeostasis during retinoсollicular map formation. J Physiol. 2008;586(18):4363-4369. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  17. Simon DK, O'Leary DD. Development of topographic order in the mammalian retinocollicular projection. J Neurosci. 1992;12:1212−1232. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  18. Tabata T, Kano M. Heterogeneous intrinsic firing properties of vertebrate retinal ganglion cells. J Neurophysiol. 2002;87:30−41. CrossRef PubMed
  19. Veselovsky NS, Engert F, Lux HD. Fast local superfusion technique. Pflugers Arch. 1996;432(2):351−4. CrossRef PubMed
  20. Xue L, Zhang F, Chen X, Lin J, Shi J. PZD protein mediated activity-dependent LTP/LTD developmental switch at rat retinocollicular synapse. J Physiol. Cell Physiol. 2010;298:1572-1582. CrossRef PubMed PubMedCentral
  21. Думанська ГВ, Веселовський МС. Пристрій для спільного культивування нейронів різних відділів головного та спинного мозку. Патент України на корисну модель № 26863 Україна, МПК С12N 5/02. заявник і патентовласник НТУУ "КПІ" - заявл.02.2007; опубл. 10.10.2007, Бюл. №16.
© National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, 2014-2025.