Localization of Monoamines in the Central Nervous System and Gonad of the Scallop Patinopecten yessoensis

Abstract

The localization of monoamines in the central nervous system and gonad of the scallop Patinopecten yessoensis was studied by means of the histochemical fluorescence technique. Green fluorescent cells which presumably contained catecholamines were detected in the cortices of both the anterior lobe of cerebral ganglion and the lateral lobe of visceral ganglion, whereas the cells of accessory ganglia had yellow fluorescence which suggested the presence of serotonin. The neuropil of the cerebral, pedal and visceral ganglia exhibited intense both green and yellow fluorescence. Of these three ganglia, yellow fluorescence was found most plentifully in the cerebral ganglion, and green fluorescence was predominant in the pedal and visceral ganglia. In the gonadal area, both green and yellow fluorescent fibers ran along the longitudinal axis of the gonoduct and the muscles which were found in and around the gonad. The networks of green fluorescent varicose fibers occurred in the intestinal wall and along the epithelium around the gonad. The present results on the localization ot monoamines in the central nervous system and gonad, together with our previous experimental data, may support the idea that serotynin plays an important role in the mechanism of spawning in marine bivalves. © 1984, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.