Skip to main content
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1974 Dec;71(12):4662–4665. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.12.4662

Coexistence of Several Putative Neurotransmitters in Single Identified Neurosn of Aplysia

Michael J Brownstein *, Juan M Saavedra *, Julius Axelrod *, Gary H Zeman *, David O Carpenter *
PMCID: PMC433955  PMID: 4373726

Abstract

By sensitive enzymatic micromethods several putative neurotransmitters were measured in four identifiable neurons of Aplysia californica (R-2, R-14, L-11, and C-1). Serotonin was found in all of these neurons, and octopamine in all but C-1. Acetylcholine has been previously reported to be present in R-2 and L-11. The catecholamines, norepinephrine and dopamine, were not detected in the four cells examined. The possible biological consequence of the presence of several putative transmitters in single identifiable neurons is discussed.

Keywords: serotonin, histamine, octopamine, acetylcholine, micro-enzymatic assays

Full text

PDF
4662

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anderson L. E., McClure W. O. Differential transport of protein in axons: comparison between the sciatic nerve and dorsal columns of cats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 May;70(5):1521–1525. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.5.1521. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borys H. K., Weinreich D., McCaman R. E. Determination of glutamate and glutamine in individual neurons of Aplysia californica. J Neurochem. 1973 Nov;21(5):1349–1351. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1973.tb07590.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. CREVELING C. R., DALY J. W., WITKOP B., UNDENFRIEND S. Substrates and inhibitors of dopamine-beta-oxidase. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1962 Oct 8;64:125–134. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(62)90765-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Carpenter D., Breese G., Schanberg S., Kopin I. Serotonin and dopamine: distribution and accumulation in Aplysia nervous and non-nervous tissues. Int J Neurosci. 1971 Jul;2(1):49–56. doi: 10.3109/00207457109146992. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Coggeshall R. E. A light and electron microscope study of the abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica. J Neurophysiol. 1967 Nov;30(6):1263–1287. doi: 10.1152/jn.1967.30.6.1263. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cottrell G. A. Serotonin and free amino acid analysis of ganglia and isolated neurones of Aplysia dactylomela. J Neurochem. 1974 Apr;22(4):557–559. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1974.tb06894.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Coyle J. T., Henry D. Catecholamines in fetal and newborn rat brain. J Neurochem. 1973 Jul;21(1):61–67. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1973.tb04225.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Eisenstadt M., Goldman J. E., Kandel E. R., Koike H., Koester J., Schwartz J. H. Intrasomatic injection of radioactive precursors for studying transmitter synthesis in identified neurons of Aplysia californica. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Dec;70(12):3371–3375. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.12.3371. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Enero M. A., Langer S. Z., Rothlin R. P., Stefano F. J. Role of the -adrenoceptor in regulating noradrenaline overflow by nerve stimulation. Br J Pharmacol. 1972 Apr;44(4):672–688. doi: 10.1111/j.1476-5381.1972.tb07306.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. GOLDSTEIN M., CONTRERA J. F. The activation and inhibition of phenylamine-beta-hydroxylase. Experientia. 1962 Jul 15;18:334–334. doi: 10.1007/BF02151864. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gerschenfeld H. M. Chemical transmission in invertebrate central nervous systems and neuromuscular junctions. Physiol Rev. 1973 Jan;53(1):1–119. doi: 10.1152/physrev.1973.53.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Giller E., Jr, Schwartz J. H. Choline acetyltransferase in identified neurons of abdominal ganglion of Aplysia californica. J Neurophysiol. 1971 Jan;34(1):93–107. doi: 10.1152/jn.1971.34.1.93. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Grossman Y., Spira M. E., Parnas I. Differential flow of information into branches of a single axon. Brain Res. 1973 Dec 21;64:379–386. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(73)90191-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lasek R. J., Dower W. J. Aplysia californica: analysis of nuclear DNA in individual nuclei of giant neurons. Science. 1971 Apr 16;172(3980):278–280. doi: 10.1126/science.172.3980.278. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. McCaman R. E., Dewhurst S. A. Choline acetyltransferase in individual neurons of Aplysia californica. J Neurochem. 1970 Sep;17(9):1421–1426. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1970.tb06877.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. McCaman R. E., Dewhurst S. A. Metabolism of putative transmitters in individual neurons of Aplysia californica. Acetylcholinesterase and catechol-O-methyl transferase. J Neurochem. 1971 Jul;18(7):1329–1335. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1971.tb00233.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. McCaman R. E., Weinreich D., Borys H. Endogenous levels of acetylcholine and choline in individual neurons of Aplysia. J Neurochem. 1973 Aug;21(2):473–476. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1973.tb04267.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Palkovits M., Brownstein M., Saavedra J. M., Axelrod J. Norepinephrine and dopamine content of hypothalamic nuclei of the rat. Brain Res. 1974 Aug 30;77(1):137–149. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90810-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Saavedra J. M., Brownstein M. J., Carpenter D. O., Axelrod J. Octopamine: presence in single neurons of Aplysia suggests neurotransmitter function. Science. 1974 Jul 26;185(4148):364–365. doi: 10.1126/science.185.4148.364. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Saavedra J. M., Brownstein M., Axelrod J. A specific and sensitive enzymatic-isotopic microassay for serotonin in tissues. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1973 Sep;186(3):508–515. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Saavedra J. M. Enzymatic-isotopic method for octopamine at the picogram level. Anal Biochem. 1974 Jun;59(2):628–633. doi: 10.1016/0003-2697(74)90316-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Saavedra J. M., Palkovits M., Brownstein M. J., Axelrod J. Serotonin distribution in the nuclei of the rat hypothalamus and preoptic region. Brain Res. 1974 Aug 30;77(1):157–165. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(74)90812-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Snyder S. H., Baldessarini R. J., Axelrod J. A sensitive and specific enzymatic isotopic assay for tissue histamine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1966 Sep;153(3):544–549. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Starke K. Influence of -receptor stimulants on noradrenaline release. Naturwissenschaften. 1971 Aug;58(8):420–420. doi: 10.1007/BF00591535. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Weinreich D., Dewhurst S. A., McCaman R. E. Metabolism of putative transmitters in individual neurons of Aplysia californica: aromatic amino acid decarboxylase. J Neurochem. 1972 Apr;19(4):1125–1130. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1972.tb01432.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Weinreich D., McCaman M. W., McCaman R. E., Vaughn J. E. Chemical, enzymatic and ultrastructural characterization of 5-hydroxytryptamine-containing neurons from the ganglia of Aplysia californica and Tritionia diomedia. J Neurochem. 1973 Apr;20(4):969–976. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1973.tb00067.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES