{"title":"GABAergic Retinal Ganglion Cells Projecting to the Superior Colliculus Mediate the Looming-Evoked Flight Response","authors":"Man Yuan, Gao Tan, Danrui Cai, Xue Luo, Kejiong Shen, Qinqin Deng, Xinlan Lei, Wen-Bo Zeng, Min-Hua Luo, Lu Huang, Chaoran Ren, Yin Shen","doi":"10.1007/s12264-024-01295-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The looming stimulus-evoked flight response to approaching predators is a defensive behavior in most animals. However, how looming stimuli are detected in the retina and transmitted to the brain remains unclear. Here, we report that a group of GABAergic retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) projecting to the superior colliculus (SC) transmit looming signals from the retina to the brain, mediating the looming-evoked flight behavior by releasing GABA. <i>GAD2-Cre</i> and <i>vGAT-Cre</i> transgenic mice were used in combination with Cre-activated anterograde or retrograde tracer viruses to map the inputs to specific GABAergic RGC circuits. Optogenetic technology was used to assess the function of SC-projecting GABAergic RGCs (scpgRGCs) in the SC. FDIO-DTA (Flp-dependent Double-Floxed Inverted Open reading frame-Diphtheria toxin) combined with the FLP (Florfenicol, Lincomycin & Prednisolone) approach was used to ablate or silence scpgRGCs. In the mouse retina, GABAergic RGCs project to different brain areas, including the SC. ScpgRGCs are monosynaptically connected to parvalbumin-positive SC neurons known to be required for the looming-evoked flight response. Optogenetic activation of scpgRGCs triggers GABA-mediated inhibition in SC neurons. Ablation or silencing of scpgRGCs compromises looming-evoked flight responses without affecting image-forming functions. Our study reveals that scpgRGCs control the looming-evoked flight response by regulating SC neurons via GABA, providing novel insight into the regulation of innate defensive behaviors.</p>","PeriodicalId":19314,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience bulletin","volume":"50 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":5.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Neuroscience bulletin","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12264-024-01295-y","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The looming stimulus-evoked flight response to approaching predators is a defensive behavior in most animals. However, how looming stimuli are detected in the retina and transmitted to the brain remains unclear. Here, we report that a group of GABAergic retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) projecting to the superior colliculus (SC) transmit looming signals from the retina to the brain, mediating the looming-evoked flight behavior by releasing GABA. GAD2-Cre and vGAT-Cre transgenic mice were used in combination with Cre-activated anterograde or retrograde tracer viruses to map the inputs to specific GABAergic RGC circuits. Optogenetic technology was used to assess the function of SC-projecting GABAergic RGCs (scpgRGCs) in the SC. FDIO-DTA (Flp-dependent Double-Floxed Inverted Open reading frame-Diphtheria toxin) combined with the FLP (Florfenicol, Lincomycin & Prednisolone) approach was used to ablate or silence scpgRGCs. In the mouse retina, GABAergic RGCs project to different brain areas, including the SC. ScpgRGCs are monosynaptically connected to parvalbumin-positive SC neurons known to be required for the looming-evoked flight response. Optogenetic activation of scpgRGCs triggers GABA-mediated inhibition in SC neurons. Ablation or silencing of scpgRGCs compromises looming-evoked flight responses without affecting image-forming functions. Our study reveals that scpgRGCs control the looming-evoked flight response by regulating SC neurons via GABA, providing novel insight into the regulation of innate defensive behaviors.
期刊介绍:
Neuroscience Bulletin (NB), the official journal of the Chinese Neuroscience Society, is published monthly by Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences (SIBS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Springer.
NB aims to publish research advances in the field of neuroscience and promote exchange of scientific ideas within the community. The journal publishes original papers on various topics in neuroscience and focuses on potential disease implications on the nervous system. NB welcomes research contributions on molecular, cellular, or developmental neuroscience using multidisciplinary approaches and functional strategies. We feature full-length original articles, reviews, methods, letters to the editor, insights, and research highlights. As the official journal of the Chinese Neuroscience Society, which currently has more than 12,000 members in China, NB is devoted to facilitating communications between Chinese neuroscientists and their international colleagues. The journal is recognized as the most influential publication in neuroscience research in China.