GABAergic Retinal Ganglion Cells Projecting to the Superior Colliculus Mediate the Looming-Evoked Flight Response.
10.1007/s12264-024-01295-y
- Author:
Man YUAN
1
;
Gao TAN
1
;
Danrui CAI
1
;
Xue LUO
1
;
Kejiong SHEN
1
;
Qinqin DENG
1
;
Xinlan LEI
1
;
Wen-Bo ZENG
2
;
Min-Hua LUO
2
;
Lu HUANG
3
;
Chaoran REN
4
;
Yin SHEN
5
Author Information
1. Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China.
2. State Key Laboratory of Virology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Wuhan, 430071, China.
3. Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
4. Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Ministry of Education CNS Regeneration Collaborative Joint Laboratory, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
5. Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China. yinshen@whu.edu.cn.
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Flight response;
GABA;
Innate defensive behavior;
Looming;
Superior colliculus;
scpgRGCs
- MeSH:
Animals;
Superior Colliculi/physiology*;
Retinal Ganglion Cells/physiology*;
GABAergic Neurons/physiology*;
Mice, Transgenic;
Mice;
Optogenetics;
Visual Pathways/physiology*;
Mice, Inbred C57BL;
Photic Stimulation/methods*;
gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism*;
Male
- From:
Neuroscience Bulletin
2024;40(12):1886-1900
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
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.
