Examining Developmental Characteristics of Lamination and Quantifying Bipolar Cell Mitochondria in the Skate Retina
Andre Tran
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Ivan A. Anastassov
The monochromatic retina of the Little Skate (Leucoraja erinacea) serves as a model system for studying the neurobiology of vision, providing insights into the molecular, cellular, and network components essential for retinal formation and function in both health and disease. Unlike other vertebrates with duplex retinas containing both rods and cones, the skate retina consists of a single photoreceptor type exhibiting characteristics of both. Previous studies suggest that rod-like features dominate the outer segment (OS)—the region responsible for capturing light and initiating visual signaling—elucidating the need to explore the organization of retinal neurons further. To investigate this, we performed computer-based 3D reconstructions of mitochondria in bipolar neurons by segmenting serial electron microscopy data to quantify ultrastructural features within skate retinal neurons. Additionally, histological techniques were used to examine the developmental progression of lamination in the skate retina. To further analyze lamination, we employed Calbindin and VChat immunofluorescence. Findings from this study will advance our understanding of the developmental timeline of circuitry formation in simplex retinas and provide new insights in fundamental principles of vertebrate retinal design.