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Structure and Development of the Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapse

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Vertebrate Photoreceptors

Abstract

Photoreceptor cells are sensory neurons and does not possess dendrites, whereas photoreceptor axonal terminals develop a specialized synaptic structure called ribbon synapses that contains electro-dense horseshoe-like ribbons. Photoreceptor ribbon synapses have connections with dendritic terminals of bipolar cells and tips of horizontal cell processes, and therefore are critical for visual transduction. In both humans and genetically modified mice, loss of function in photoreceptor synaptic components and its regulators often causes visual impairment and retinal diseases including retinitis pigmentosa and night blindness. In this chapter, we review and discuss the development of photoreceptor ribbon synapses and the functions of ribbon synapse key components.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Molecular and Developmental Biology, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

    Yoshihiro Omori & Takahisa Furukawa

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  1. Yoshihiro Omori
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  2. Takahisa Furukawa
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Correspondence to Takahisa Furukawa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan

    Takahisa Furukawa

  2. Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    James B. Hurley

  3. Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan

    Satoru Kawamura

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Omori, Y., Furukawa, T. (2014). Structure and Development of the Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapse. In: Furukawa, T., Hurley, J., Kawamura, S. (eds) Vertebrate Photoreceptors. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54880-5_8

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