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GABAergic system of the pineal organ of an elasmobranch (Scyliorhinus canicula): a developmental immunocytochemical study

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Abstract

The present immunocytochemical study provides evidence of a previously unrecognized, rich, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic innervation of the pineal organ in the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula). In this elasmobranch, the pineal primordium is initially detected at embryonic stage 24 and grows to form a long pineal tube by stage 28. Glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD)-immunoreactive (-ir) fibers were first observed at stage 26, and by stage 28, thin GAD-ir fibers were detectable at the base of the pineal neuroepithelium. In pre-hatchling embryos, most fibers gave rise to GAD-ir boutons that were localized in the basal region of the neuroepithelium, although a smaller number of labeled terminals ascended to the pineal lumen. A few pale GAD-ir perikarya were observed within the pineal organ of stage 29 embryos, but GAD-ir perikarya were not observed at other developing stages or in adults. In contrast, GABA immunocytochemistry revealed the presence of GABAergic perikarya and fibers in the pineal organ of late stage embryos and adults. Although high densities of GABAergic cells were observed in the paracommissural pretectum, posterior tubercle, and tegmentum of dogfish embryos (regions previously demonstrated to contain pinealopetal cells), the presence of GABA-ir perikarya in the pineal organ strongly suggests that the rich GABAergic innervation of the elasmobranch pineal organ is intrinsic. This contrasts with the central origin of GABAergic fibers in the pineal gland of some mammals.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Fátima Gil (Aquario “Vasco da Gama”, Lisbon, Portugal), Joaô Correia (Oceanário, Lisbon), and Alfredo Veiga (Aquarium Finisterrae, A Coruña, Spain) for providing the dogfish embryos and juveniles used in this study, and Quico Cruces and fishermen of the “Quico IV” for providing the adult dogfish specimens. We also thank Dr. Enrico Mugnaini (Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School) for the gift of the sheep anti-GAD antibody used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cell Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15706, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Iván Carrera, Catalina Sueiro, Isabel Rodríguez-Moldes & Ramón Anadón

  2. Department of Functional Biology and Health Sciences, University of Vigo, 36200, Vigo, Spain

    Pilar Molist

  3. Department of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10029, USA

    Gay R. Holstein & Giorgio P. Martinelli

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  1. Iván Carrera
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  2. Catalina Sueiro
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  3. Pilar Molist
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  4. Gay R. Holstein
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  5. Giorgio P. Martinelli
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  6. Isabel Rodríguez-Moldes
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  7. Ramón Anadón
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Correspondence to Ramón Anadón.

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This work was supported by the Spanish Education and Science Ministry and FEDER (BXX2000-0453-C02 and BFU2004-03313/BF1), the Xunta de Galicia (PGIDT99BIO20002), and NIH/NIDCD awards R01 DC01705 and P01 DC01837 (to G.R.H.).

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Carrera, I., Sueiro, C., Molist, P. et al. GABAergic system of the pineal organ of an elasmobranch (Scyliorhinus canicula): a developmental immunocytochemical study. Cell Tissue Res 323, 273–281 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-005-0061-8

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