Expression patterns of calretinin, calbindin and parvalbumin and their colocalization in neurons during development of Macaca monkey retina

The developmental expression of calbindin (CalB), calretinin (CaR) and parvalbumin (PV) was followed in Macaca monkey retina using single and double immunolabeling to identify which proteins provide distinctive labels for specific cell types and to clarify the role of these proteins during development. Ganglion cells (GC) expressed PV at fetal day (Fd)55 and CaR and CalB by Fd85. CaR was downregulated after birth. Separate subsets of amacrine (AM) cells expressed CaR and CalB at Fd65–70. After Fd115, many CaR+ AM coexpressed CalB. After Fd120 a few AM expressed PV and these added CaR and CalB after birth. A subset of horizontal cells (HZ) expressed CaR and CalB at Fd70. Slightly later all HZ express PV and CaR while the early subset is CalB+/PV+/CaR+. CaR downregulates in all HZ after birth. The DB3 cone bipolar cells (BP) under the HZ label for CalB by Fd90–110 while a probable OFF BP cell body just above the AM layer becomes CaR+ near birth with labeling increasing after birth. All cones outside of the fovea label for CalB by Fd125. Foveal cones, rods, most BP and Müller glia do not label for these proteins at any age. The complex patterns of up- and down-regulation found in Macaca retina are similar to previous reports of expression in human retina, but in many instances are quite different than earlier reports of CaR, CalB and PV expression patterns in monkey central visual centers. This makes it highly likely that each protein plays a specific but undetermined role(s) in each visual center, and that its expression is controlled at a given stage of retinal development by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors.