A MTA Tihanyi Biológiai Kutatóintézetének Évkönyve 39. (1972)
1. ÁLLATTAN - Elekes Károly - Zs. Nagy Imre: Effect of actinomycin-D on the monoamine content of the central nervous system in the fresh-water mussel Anodonta cygnea L., as revealed by fluorescence histochemistry = Actinomycin-D hatása a tavi kagyló Anodonta cygnea L. központi idegrendszerének monoamin tartalmára. Fluorescens hisztokémiai vizsgálatok
EFFECT OF ACTIN OM Y CIN - D ON THE MONOAMINE CONTENT OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM IN THE FRESH-WATER MUSSEL ANODONTA CYGNEA L. AS REVEALED BY FLUORESCENCE HISTOCHEMISTRY KÁROLY ELEKES and IMRE ZS.-NAGY Biological Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Tihany, Hungary Received: 4th February, 1972 The assumption that non-cholinergic mediation plays the primary role in the nervous system of Pelecypoda has been supported by numerous experimental data (Salánki, 1963; Salainki et al., 1966; Zs.-Nagy, 1964; Zs.Nagy and Salánki, 1965). Serotonin (5HT) and catecholamines (CA) have been demonstrated by the Falck-fluorescence method in the ganglia of various Anodonta species (Dahl et al., 1962; 1966; Zs.-Nagy, 1967; 1968) and a significant quantity of dopamine (DA) has been found by spectrofluorimetry (Sweeney, 1963; Hiripi, 1972). Investigations have revealed that apart from 5HT, DA may have an important role as a transmitter, in the central nervous system of the fresh-water mussel (Zs.-Nagy, 1967; 1968). Former investigations indicated that actinomycin D (AD) influenced the periodic activity of fresh-water mussel and simultaneously decreased the 5HT-content of ganglia (Salánki et al., 1968). Our electronmicroscopic investigations (Elekes and Zs.-Nagy, 1971) proved that the protein-synthetizing system of the nerve cells as well as the formation of dense-core vesicles (DCV) are affected by AD. Therefore, it seemed to be necessary to investigate the effect of AD on the central nervous system of fresh-water mussel even by means of fluorescence microscopic histochemistry, in order to compare the ultrastructural alterations with those of the localization of biogenic monoamines. Material and methods The investigations were carried out on the ganglia of 18 — 20 cm long specimens of Anodonta cygnea L. The experimental animals were injected with 2 ml AD (100 pg/m 1) into the foot 3 times per day. The controls (9 animals) were given the same quantity of Balaton-water. The animals were put into 3 groups each consisting of four specimens and killed in 8, 24 and 48 hours following the treatment. The ganglia were frozen in isopentane cooled by liquid nitrogen and subsequently freeze-dried in an apparatus type HVG 1 (Ilmenau, GDR) cooled by COa-aceton mixture at an end vacuum of 10~5 Torr. The freeze-drying of 12 pairs of ganglia required approximately 7 hours. ANNAL. BIOL. TIHANY 39 3—11 HUNGÁRIA 1972 | 1*