Channeling Vision: Ca_V1.4—A Critical Link in Retinal Signal Transmission

Figure 5

Known morphophysiological abnormalities in Cacna1f-KO mouse retinas (lacking ). (1) The synaptic ribbon fails to mature or anchor to the presynaptic membrane; (2) normally rod-contacting bipolar and horizontal cell dendrites sprout past the outer plexiform layer, into the outer nuclear layer, potentially seeking presynaptic partners; (3) photoreceptors (both rods and cones) gradually die, leading to loss of nuclei in the outer nuclear layer; and (4) cone photoreceptors exhibit aberrant axonal morphology, including axonal sprouting.