Voltage-Dependent Calcium Channel CaV1.3 Subunits Regulate the Light Peak of the Electroretinogram

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Abstract
In response to light, the mouse retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) generates a series of slow changes in potential that are referred to as the c-wave, fast oscillation (FO), and light peak (LP) of the electroretinogram (ERG). The LP is generated by a depolarization of the basolateral RPE plasma membrane by the activation of a calcium-sensitive chloride conductance. We have previously shown that the LP is reduced in both mice and rats by nimodipine, which blocks voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) and is abnormal in lethargic mice, carrying a null mutation in the calcium channel β4 subunit. To define the α1 subunit involved in this process, we examined mice lacking CaV1.3. In comparison with wild-type (WT) control littermates, LPs were reduced in CaV1.3−/− mice. This pattern matched closely with that previously noted in lethargic mice, confirming a role for VDCCs in regulating the signaling pathway that culminates in LP generation. These abnormalities do not reflect a defect in rod photoreceptor activity, which provides the input to the RPE to generate the c-wave, FO, and LP, because ERG a-waves were comparable in WT and CaV1.3−/− littermates. Our results identify CaV1.3 as the principal pore-forming subunit of VDCCs involved in stimulating the ERG LP.