title: Close association of peptidergic nerves with lymphocytes in canine and monkey ileal villi.
abstract: Intimate association of peptidergic nerves with lymphocytes of canine and monkey ileal villi was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. A swollen, presumably terminal, portion of nerves containing large cored vesicles and small clear vesicles was in direct contact with a lymphocyte. The apposing membranes of the nerve and lymphocyte were thickened and darkened, being separated by a narrow uniform space. The lymphocyte-associated nerves contained immunoreactivity for substance P(SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), localized in large-cored vessels. These result support the hypothesis that peptidergic nerves may play a regulatory role in mucosal immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Medical College, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eda
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D007082:Ileum / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D008251:Macaca; D008854:Microscopy, Electron