Abstract
Intracellular calcium plays an important role in the intracellular signal transduction as one of the second messengers. In this study, we examined the ultrastructural distribution of calcium in rat retina, using the oxalate pyroantimonate technique and X-ray microanalysis. Large amounts of precipitates were observed inside the disc of outer segments of photoreceptor cells (OS) and the synaptic vesicles of the inner (IPL) and outer plexiform layer (OPL). Precipitates also were observed in the ribosome-rich regions in the cytoplasm and the euchromatinic part in the cell nuclei of the ganglion, amacrine, and bipolar and horizontal cells. However, few precipitates were found in the inner segment of the photoreceptor cells and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). X-ray microanalysis with an energydispersive X-ray detector revealed that these precipitates had a peak of antimony and calcium. Therefore, it was suggested that these precipitates were Ca[Sb(OH)6]2, the reaction products of the oxalate-pyroantimonate technique. Our findings showed that calcium precipitates are abundant in retinal regions that are related to visual transmission.
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