Comparative aspects of structure and action of molluscan neuropeptides

A number of neuropeptides were isolated from the ganglia and muscles of molluscs, and their actions were examined. Diverse neuropeptides, in addition to several classical neurotransmitters, were suggested to be involved in the regulation of the anterior byssus retractor muscle ofMytilus. A wide structural variety of members of theMytilus inhibitory peptide family was observed in each of the generaMytilus, Achatina andHelix. Gly-Trp-NH₂, the C-terminal dipeptide fragment of the neuropeptide AGPWamide, showed a more potent action than the parent peptide in all of the muscles examined. Peptides related to some molluscan neuropeptides were found to be distributed interphyletically. Some neuropeptides containing ad-amino acid residue were found inAchatina andMytilus. These aspects of molluscan neuropeptides are thought not to be exceptional.     

Binding property of rat andLimulus C-reactive proteins (CRP) to mercury

Summary The C-reactive proteins (CRP) from both rat andLimulus were found to bind mercury (Hg) in both in vivo and in vitro conditions. CRP has high-affinity binding sites for Hg as evidenced by the loss of free sulfhydryl groups, arrested mobility in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the consumption of CRP in the serum after Hg administration. The binding was tight as it could not be inhibited either by the addition of cysteine or EDTA. By using a direct titration method it was shown that binding of Hg to CRP was saturable at a molar ratio of Hg/CRP=13.11. The possibility that CRP may act as a scavenger for Hg is discussed.     

Dithiols simulate endotoxin in theLimulus reaction

Summary Dithiothreitol, dithioerythritol and bacterial lipopolysaccharides increase optical absorbance and clotLimulus lysate. Purification of dithiothreitol from possible endotoxin contamination by vacuum sublimation or chromatography does not abolish the reaction with lysate. The dithiols reported active here represent the smallest molecules capable of simulating endotoxin in theLimulus test.Acknowledgments. This investigation was supported by grant No. P30 14194 and CA 12635, awarded by the National Cancer Institute, Dhew.     

Effect of muscimol on dopamine metabolism of the rat hypothalamus

Summary Muscimol, a potent GABA receptor agonist, produced increases in DOPAC and dopamine concentrations in the rat hypothalamus. GABAergic receptors, therefore, modulate hypothalamic dopaminergic neurones.This work was supported by the National health and Medical Research Council of Australia. The authors are grateful to Dr P. Krogsgaard-Larsen, Copenhagen, for providing muscimol.     

Criteria for the appearance of post-tetanic potentiation of transmission at central synapses inHelix aspersa

Summary Long-lasting potentiation of inhibitory post-synaptic potentials occurs at 2 identifiable synapses inHelix brain. It appears only after tetanic stimulation and after a minimum of 20 impulses. Its amplitude and duration depend on the number of stimuli.     

Uptake ofl-glutamate andl-aspartate in neurones and glial cells of cultured human and rat spinal cord

Summary Autoradiographic investigations on the uptake ofl-glutamate andl-aspartate have shown that the amino acids were taken up by neurones as well as by glial cells of cultured human and rat spinal cord. The activity of glutamate and aspartate varied considerably between individual neurones, whereas glial cells showed a more even distribution of the labelled amino acids. Our results suggest that both neurones and glial cells are involved in the uptake of amino acid transmitters.     

Inability of dithiols to cause activation ofLimulus endotoxin sensitive procoagulase

Summary Using a chromogenic substrate it has been shown that the endotoxin sensitive procoagulase ofLimulus lysate is not activated by dithiols. Increased turbidimetric readings in the presence of dithiols would therefore appear to be nonspecific.     

Neurotransmitter synthesis inLimulus ventral nerve photoreceptors

Summary Radiochemical precursor compounds for neurotransmitters were incubated withLimulus ventral nerve photoreceptor preparations. Octopamine was preferentially synthesized by a photoreceptor rich fraction of the nerve, acetylcholine was made by a photoreceptor poor fraction, and -aminobutyric acid was made about equally well in both fractions. The possibility that the ventral nerve photoreceptor cells serve a neurosecretory function in the adultLimulus is discussed.From the Neurobiology Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. The Neurobiology Course is supported by grants from the Grass, Sloan and Sandoz Foundation and from Merck, Sharp and Dohme Research Institute.     

Occurrence of ecdysone in the blood of the chelicerate arthropod,Limulus polyphemus

Summary A molt promoting substance, assumed to be ecdysone, was discovered inLimulus haemolymph. Preliminary bioassay suggests a titre of 9 ng ecdysone per ml of haemolymph.Supported by the University of Minnesota Graduate School, NSF Grant No. GB 16607 and USPHS Grant No. HO 07336.     

Action of GABA and glycine on the membrane potential of cultured astrocytes and the extracellular K+-concentration

Summary The depolarization of cultured astrocytes by GABA and glycine correlates in amplitude and time course with the increase of the extracellular K⁺-concentration during perfusion with these amino acids. It is suggested that the glial depolarization is caused by an efflux of K⁺ from neighbouring neurones activated by the amino acid transmitters.     

Effects of calcium on the spontaneous contractions of the isolated ventricle of the snailHelix pomatia

Zusammenfassung Untersuchungen über den Einfluss von Veränderungen der Calciumkonzentration auf die spontaneHelix-Herzkammertätigkeit weisen darauf hin, dass Calcim hier keine Wirkung ausübt, die von seiner Wirkung auf Muskelgewebe im allgemeinnen grundverschieden ist. Hochkonzentrierte Calciumlösungen steigern die Kontraktionsspannung und bei höchsten Konzentrationen kann die Muskelerregbarkeit abnehmen, während schwachkonzentrierte Calciumlösungen die Muskelerregbarkeït erhöhen.     

Ecdysteroids inLimulus larvae

Summary Free ecdysteroids were extracted from intermolt and premolt larvae ofLimulus polyphemus in the first posthatch stage, purified by TLC and HRLC, and assayed by RIA and theLimulus bioassay 20-hydroxyecdysone appears to be a principal ecdysteroid and occurs at least 3 times higher a concentration in premolt vs intermolt animals.Supported by NSF grant GB-40620.Acknowledgments. We are indebted to Prof. G. R. Wyatt for the antibody, Prof. K. Nakanishi for use of his laboratory for HRLC separations, and to Dr David King for the³H-ecdysone and for performing radio-TLC analyses.     

Synaptic connections made by two serotonin-containing neurons in the snail (Helix pomatia) brain

Résumé On décrit la disposition précise des contacts synaptiques réalisée par deux gigantesques neurones contenant de la sérotonine (GSC) avec d'autre neurones dans la cervelle de l'escargotHelix pomatia. Quelques neurones sont innervés deux fois par chaque GSC.     

Effects ofγ-amino-butyric acid on the potentials evoked in vitro in the superior colliculus

Résumé L'acide butyrique gamma-amino (GABA) en basse concentration a réduit le potentiel suscité in vitro dans une tranche deColliculus superior chez le cobaye. Cette action suppressive de GABA ne s'est pas produite dans un medium sans chlore ou avec de la strychnine. On en a conclu que GABA simule le transmetteur inhibitoire dans leC. superior.     

The presence of octopamine in the brain ofHelix aspersa and its action on specific snail neurones

Résumé L'octopamine est présente dans le tissue nerveus l'escargot,Helix aspersa. Elle a un effet fortement inhibitoire sur certains neurones. Ces neurones sont aussi sensibles à la dopamine et à la noradrénaline. Le mécanisme possible de l'action de l'octopamine est discuté.     

Occurrence of a blood group A-like substance in eggs of the prosobranch snailPomacea canaliculata

Summary In the eggs of the prosobranch snailsPomacea canaliculata andPomacea insularum a blood group A-like substance has been detected by anti-A from the snailsHelix pomatia, Helix aspersa andCepaea nemoralis.     

Distribution of free and conjugated ecdysteroids between follicle cell sheath and ooplasm in oocytes of the cockroachNauphoeta cinerea

Summary It is shown that both follicle cell sheath and ooplasm contain only small quantities ofHelix-hydrolyzable ecdysteroid conjugates and that 20-hydroxy-ecdysone is the predominant free ecdysteroid. Its concentration is very high in the follicle cell sheath immediately before chorion formation (6825 ng/g) and much lower after chorion formation (150 ng/g), while it is 234 ng/g and 95 ng/g in the ooplasm at the same stages respectively.Thanks are due to Dr J.D. O'Connor (Los Angeles) for the ecdysone antiserum, to Dr J. Koolman (Marburg) for 23,24-[³H]-ecdysone and to Mrs A. Tschan for technical assistance. A fellowship to X. Zhu from the Chinese Ministry of Education and financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (grant no. 3.714-0.80 to B. Lanzrein) are gratefully acknowledged.     

Rotationssinn nach dem Bogengangsprinzip bei Crustaceen

Summary Blinded crabs (Carcinus maenas andMaja verrucosa) show compensatory eye stalk movements on rotation about a vertical axis, in water and in air. On a sudden arrest of the turntable typical after-effects are observed, which show a striking resemblance to those known from vertebrates. All these reactions are abolished after bilateral elimination of the so-called thread hairs within the statocysts (experiments onMaja). In fresh preparations these hairs can be seen to follow the slightest movements of the surrounding fluid, swaying around their point of attachment.Elimination of the thread hairs does not diminish, but does markedly delay the compensatory eye stalk movements of a blinded crab on rotation about horizontal axes. The latter reactions are abolished if in addition the hook hairs (i.e. the sense hairs of the statolith-bearing type) are destroyed.It is concluded that the statocyst of crabs is a staticdynamic sense organ: the hook hairs are position receptors, the thread hairs react to angular displacements about all three main body axes; the group hairs may have no sensory function at all.Rotation sense may be expected to occur in other Crustacea possessing thread hairs or similar receptors in their statocysts as well.     

Differenzierendes Kaulquappen-Fressen durch Molche

Summary Differential predation on tadpoles by newts (Triturus). 4 EuropeanTriturus species (T. alpestris, T. cristatus, T. helveticus, T. vulgaris) feed upon the tadpoles of the following Anura species which occur in sympatry with the newts:Rana esculenta, R. temporaria andBombina variegata. OnlyTriturus cristatus prey also upon the tadpoles ofBufo bufo andB. calamita. Triturus alpestris, T. helveticus andT. vulgaris do not eat anyBufo tadpoles. Even larvae ofTriturus alpestris prey upon tadpoles ofRana esculenta, R. ridibunda andBombina variegata but avoid tadpoles ofBufo calamita.

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Mit Unterstützung des Schweizerischen Nationalfonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung.     

Loss of bioluminescence inAnomalops katoptron due to starvation

Summary After 3 weeks of starvation the bacterial light-organs of the bioluminescent shallow-water fishAnomalops katoptron cease to produce light. Because of a reduction of the number of symbionts in the cells of the light organ, it is concluded that the fish supplies its luminescent bacteria with nutrients out of its own metabolism. As a result of starving the fish, the luminescent bacteria decrease in number and finally cease to emit light.Supported by a Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship in Marine Science, and carried out during the 1975 Alpha Helix South East Asia Bioluminescence Expedition.