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Immunocytochemical demonstration of peptidergic neurons in the central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis with antisera raised to biologically active peptides of vertebrates

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Summary

Perikarya and nerve fibers were immunocytochemically identified in the central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis by means of the unlabelled antibody enzyme method with antisera to 15 biologically active peptides of vertebrates: vasopressin, vasotocin, oxytocin, α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), met-enkephalin, somatostatin, glucagon, insulin, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), vaso-active intestinal polypeptide (VIP), gastrin, secretin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), Substance P, calcitonin. No immunostaining was obtained with antisera to β-endorphin, cholecystokinin (CCK), neurophysin I and II. Particular neurons could be identified with two antisera (anti-vasopressin/vasotocin, anti-α-MSH/metenkephalin, anti-substance P/PP, anti-PP/gastrin). Apparently this indicates that populations of cells identified with a given antiserum may consist of more than one cell type.

Only a few of the new peptidergic cells appeared to be identical with classical neurosecretory cells. Thus the growth hormone producing Light Green Cells stained with anti-somatostatin and the axon terminals of the ovulation hormone producing Caudo-Dorsal Cells with anti-met-enkephalin. Whether this indicates structural identity of the growth hormone with somatostatin and of the ovulation hormone with met-enkephalin remains to be investigated.

Just like the classical neurosecretory cells a number of the new peptidergic cells (anti-glucagon, -insulin, -met-enkephalin, -somatostatin, and -PP positive cells) send their axons to the peripheries of commissures, connectives or nerves. Thus these cells can be considered as probably neuroendocrine. The classical neurosecretory cells release their products into the haemolymph from these sites. Other new peptidergic cells (e.g., anti-vasopressin, -vasotocin, -oxytocin and -GIP positive cells) have axons that terminate, probably synaptically, on other neurons, indicating that they are “more conventional” neurons, their products being neurotransmitters/neuromodulators. It can also not be excluded that some cells of a population containing a given peptide are neuroendocrine and others make contact with other neurons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Laboratory, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    L. P. C. Schot &  H. H. Boer (Prof.)

  2. Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    D. F. Swaab

  3. Department of Histochemistry, Postgraduate Medical School, London, England

    Susan Van Noorden

Authors
  1. L. P. C. Schot
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  2. H. H. Boer
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  3. D. F. Swaab
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  4. Susan Van Noorden
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The authors wish to thank Prof. Dr. J. Lever for reading the manuscript, Mr. G.W.H. van den Berg for drawing the figures, and Mrs. Dagmar Reichelt for technical assistance

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Schot, L.P.C., Boer, H.H., Swaab, D.F. et al. Immunocytochemical demonstration of peptidergic neurons in the central nervous system of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis with antisera raised to biologically active peptides of vertebrates. Cell Tissue Res. 216, 273–291 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00233620

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