| Abstract No.: | A-A1015 |
| Country: | Canada |
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| Title: | RETINAL DEVELOPMENT: EXPRESSION OF THE CANNABINOID RECEPTOR TYPE 1 (CB1) AND THE ENZYME FAAH IN THE RAT RETINA |
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| Authors/Affiliations: | 1 Nawal Zabouri*; 1 Jean-François Bouchard; 1 Christian Casanova;
1 Univesité de Montreal, QC, Canada
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| Content: | Endocanabinoids are known to develop and become functional very early in some structures of the CNS. Consequently, several studies have proposed that this system may be involved in developmental processes. There are some indications that the cells producing anandamide, a CB1 ligand, also contain the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) which is thought to be responsible for degrading the aforementioned ligand. It has been shown that both CB1 and FAAH are present in the retina of adult animals. In this context, we investigated the expression and distribution of both CB1 and FAAH in the rat retina during development. We conducted immunohistochemical study of CB1 and FAAH expression from postnatal day (P) 1 to 15 in Long-Evans rat pups. In addition, using retinal cell markers, we identified the cell types in which both proteins were expressed. Briefly, at P1, the retina consists of an undifferentiated neuroblast layer (NBL), a synaptic inner plexiform layer (INL) and a ganglion cell layer (GCL). At P7, the INL is mostly formed and at P15, the outer nuclear (ONL) and plexiform (OPL) layers are also formed.
Results indicate that at P1, CB1 was expressed in horizontal, rod bipolar, amacrine and ganglion cells. FAAH was expressed in amacrine and ganglion cells. At P7, CB1 was expressed in cones, horizontal, bipolar, amacrine and ganglion cells. FAAH was expressed in some amacrine and rod bipolar and ganglion cells. At P15, CB1 was expressed in cones, horizontal, amacrine and ganglion cells. FAAH staining was the same as in P7 with the addition of cones. In summary, the CB1 receptor was present in the four cell types that were differentiated prior to birth. It was also transiently expressed in rod bipolar cells suggesting an implication of endocannabinoids in the development of this cell type but not in its adult role. The expression pattern of FAAH also varies during the studied period. This would be consistent with the possible involvement of these proteins in developmental processes. Supp: NSERC to CC and JFB, and CIHR-Baker foundation.
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