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Comparative immunohistochemistry of the cephalic sensory organs in Opisthobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda)

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Abstract

The structure and function of the central nervous systems of opisthobranch gastropods have been studied extensively. However, the organisation and function of the peripheral nervous system are poorly understood. The cephalic sensory organs (CSOs) are known to be chemosensory structures in the head region of opisthobranchs. In the present study, we used immunohistochemical methods and confocal laserscanning microscopy to comparatively examine the CSOs of different opisthobranchs, namely Acteon tornatilis, Aplysia punctata, Archidoris pseudoargus and Haminoea hydatis. We wanted to characterise sensory epithelia in order to infer the function of sensory structures and the organs they constitute. Immunoreactivity against the three antigens tyrosine hydroxylase, FMRFamide and serotonin was very similar in the CSOs of all investigated species. Tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity was detected primarily in subepidermal sensory cell bodies, which were much more abundant in the anteriorly situated CSOs. This observation indicates that these cells and the respective organs may be involved in contact chemoreception and mechanoreception. The dominant features of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity, especially in the posterior CSOs, were tightly knotted fibres which reveal glomerulus-like structures. This suggests an olfactory role for these organs. Serotonin-like immunoreactivity was detected in an extensive network of efferent fibres, but was not found within any peripheral cell bodies. Serotonin-like immunoreactivity was found in the same glomerulus-like structures as FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity, indicating a function of serotonin in the efferent control of olfactory inputs. Besides this functional implication, this study could also add some knowledge on the doubtful homology of the CSOs in opisthobranch gastropods.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Roger P. Croll for his helpful comments on an earlier version of this report. We would also like to thank the German Science Foundation (DFG) for supporting this project (KL 1303/3-1).

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  1. Simone Faller

    Present address: Department of Developmental Biology and Morphology of Animals, Institute for Biology II, RWTH Aachen, Kopernikusstr. 16, 52056, Aachen, Germany

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  1. Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity—Phylogeny and Systematics, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Siesmayerstr. 70, 60054, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Simone Faller, Sid Staubach & Annette Klussmann-Kolb

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Faller, S., Staubach, S. & Klussmann-Kolb, A. Comparative immunohistochemistry of the cephalic sensory organs in Opisthobranchia (Mollusca, Gastropoda). Zoomorphology 127, 227–239 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00435-008-0066-4

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