Serotonin Injections Induce Metamorphosis in Larvae of the Gastropod Mollusc Ilyanassa obsoleta
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Esther M. Leise, Professor (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Abstract: Bath-applied serotonin (5-HT) induces competent larvae of the marine snail Ilyanassa obsoleta to metamorphose. Previously, the mode of action of 5-HT, whether as an external ligand or as an internal neurotransmitter, was unknown. Larvae were injected with 10-4 M 5-HT and other pharmacological agents to provide evidence that serotonergic neurons are necessary for metamorphosis in Ilyanassa larvae and that serotonin functions as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator during this process. About 50% of 5-HT-injected animals metamorphose within 48 hours. Fluoxetine, a 5-HT re-uptake inhibitor, and alpha-methy1-5-hydroxytryptamine (am5HT), a 5-HT agonist, were also effective inducers of metamorphosis. Gramine (3-[dimethyl-aminomethyl]indole), a 5-HT antagonist, inhibited the inductive activity of 5-HT, while the amino acid gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) resulted in rates of morphological restructuring similar to those of controls. Collectively, the results of our experiments support the idea that serotonergic neurons are active during larval metamorphosis of Ilyanassa and that 5-HT does not induce metamorphosis by binding to epidermal chemoreceptors.
Serotonin Injections Induce Metamorphosis in Larvae of the Gastropod Mollusc Ilyanassa obsoleta
PDF (Portable Document Format)
1077 KB
Created on 5/2/2011
Views: 3401
Additional Information
- Publication
- Biological Bulletin 191:178-186
- Language: English
- Date: 1996
- Keywords
- Ilyanassa obsolete, metamorphosis, serotonergic neurons, epidermal chemoreceptors