Abstract
To describe the serotonergic system in a tunicate larva, we cloned a gene encoding for tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin synthesis, in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and studied its expression pattern during development. Ci-TPH expression was found from tailbud stage in the precursor cells of the visceral ganglion and in the tail. In the larva, TPH-expressing neurons formed two clusters in the anterior central nervous system at the level of the visceral ganglion. Moreover, we found Ci-TPH expression at the level of the muscle cells of the tail and suggested that this localisation might be at the level of neuro-muscolar junctions. Moreover, we discussed the involvement of serotonin in the control of larval locomotory activity.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the MIUR-PRIN 2004 grant, prot. 2004057732. The authors sincerely thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments, which helped to improve the paper.
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Pennati, R., Candiani, S., Biggiogero, M. et al. Developmental expression of tryptophan hydroxylase gene in Ciona intestinalis . Dev Genes Evol 217, 307–313 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-007-0138-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00427-007-0138-3