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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Animals, Blotting, Southern, Dark Adaptation, Electroretinography, Female, Genotype, Immunohistochemistry, Light, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Microscopy, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Protein Kinase C-alpha, Retinal Bipolar Cells, Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells, Vision, Ocular.
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Is pKC { alpha } essential for the proper activation and termination of rod bipolar cell response? Context: Protein kinase (PKC)-α is abundant in retinal bipolar cells. This study was performed to explore its role in visual processing. PKCα-knockout (Prkca(-/-)) mice and control animals were examined by using electroretinography (ERG), light microscopy, and immunocytochemistry. The Prkca(-/-) mice showed no signs of retinal degeneration up to 12 months of age, but ERG measurements indicated a decelerated increase in the ascending limb of the scotopic (rod-sensitive) b-wave as well as a delayed return to baseline. These results suggest that PKCα is an important modulator that affects bipolar cell signal transduction and termination. Confocal microscopy of retinal sections showed that PKCα co-localized with calbindin, which indicates a PKCα localization in close proximity to the horizontal cell terminals. In addition, the implicit time of the ERG c-wave originating from the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the recovery of photoreceptors from bleaching conditions were substantially faster in the knockout mice than in the wild-type control animals.
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These results suggest that PKCα is a modulator of rod-bipolar cell function by accelerating glutamate-driven signal transduction and termination. This modulation is of importance in the switch between scotopic and photopic vision. Furthermore, PKCα seems to play a role in RPE function. Final Decision: yes