Voltage-dependent calcium channel Ca_V1.3 subunits regulate the light peak of the electroretinogram

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 Ca_V1.3. In comparison with wild-type (WT) control littermates, LPs were reduced in Ca_V1.3^-/- 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 Ca_V1.3 ^-/- littermates. Our results identify Ca_V1.3 as the principal pore-forming subunit of VDCCs involved in stimulating the ERG LP.