TY - JOUR
T1 - Visualization of nitric oxide production in the earthworm ventral nerve cord
AU - Kitamura, Yoshiichiro
AU - Naganoma, Yuichi
AU - Horita, Haruhito
AU - Tsuji, Noriko
AU - Shimizu, Ryosaku
AU - Ogawa, Hiroto
AU - Oka, Kotaro
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank Dr Kazuo Tanishita, Department of System Design Engineering, Keio University, for lending us the microscope for observation of NADPH-d histochemical preparations. This work was partially supported by the ‘Research for the Future’ Program of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (contract number JSPS-RFTF 96100102), and by the Academic Frontier Promotion Project ‘Science and Technology Program on Molecule, Supra-Molecules and Supra-Structured Materials’ of the Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Distribution of nitric oxide (NO)-producible neurons in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) of the earthworm was investigated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry. Some neurons (20-30 μm in diameter) were intensely stained and were localized in areas between the 1st and 2nd lateral nerves in the ventral side of VNC. In contrast, no neurons including giant fibers were stained in the dorsal side. Endogenous NO production from VNC was visualized using a fluorescent dye, diaminofluorescein-2 diacethyl (DAF-2 DA). When VNC was incubated in a saline, a relative high level of NO was produced from the ventral side, especially from NADPH-d-positive neurons. Under high-K+ stimulation, NO was also detected in the giant fibers in the dorsal side of VNC. Our results suggest that the earthworm VNC constantly and relative highly produces NO as a neuromodulator, and that NO produced from the ventral side sometimes reaches and affects the giant fibers. In conclusion, we successfully visualized NO in the earthworm VNC by clarifying both the distribution of NO-producible neurons and the endogenous NO production.
AB - Distribution of nitric oxide (NO)-producible neurons in the ventral nerve cord (VNC) of the earthworm was investigated by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry. Some neurons (20-30 μm in diameter) were intensely stained and were localized in areas between the 1st and 2nd lateral nerves in the ventral side of VNC. In contrast, no neurons including giant fibers were stained in the dorsal side. Endogenous NO production from VNC was visualized using a fluorescent dye, diaminofluorescein-2 diacethyl (DAF-2 DA). When VNC was incubated in a saline, a relative high level of NO was produced from the ventral side, especially from NADPH-d-positive neurons. Under high-K+ stimulation, NO was also detected in the giant fibers in the dorsal side of VNC. Our results suggest that the earthworm VNC constantly and relative highly produces NO as a neuromodulator, and that NO produced from the ventral side sometimes reaches and affects the giant fibers. In conclusion, we successfully visualized NO in the earthworm VNC by clarifying both the distribution of NO-producible neurons and the endogenous NO production.
KW - Diaminofluorescein-2 diacethyl (DAF-2 DA)
KW - Earthworm
KW - Histochemistry
KW - Imaging
KW - Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d)
KW - Nitric oxide (NO)
KW - Serotonin
KW - Ventral nerve cord (VNC)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034984991&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034984991&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0168-0102(01)00226-7
DO - 10.1016/S0168-0102(01)00226-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 11377756
AN - SCOPUS:0034984991
SN - 0168-0102
VL - 40
SP - 175
EP - 181
JO - Neuroscience Research
JF - Neuroscience Research
IS - 2
ER -