title: A neuropeptide (Calfluxin) is involved in the influx of calcium into mitochondria of the albumen gland of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis.
abstract: In the course of a study on the role of Ca2+ in the regulation of the secretion process in a female accessory sex gland, the albumen gland of the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis, it appeared that the percentage of mitochondria containing Ca2+ deposits varied significantly in the successive stages of the egg-laying process. Ca2+ was demonstrated at the ultrastructural level with the pyroantimonate precipitation technique. A significant increase of the percentage can be correlated with the onset of synthetic activity. Two gonadotropic (neuro) hormones are known to stimulate synthetic activity, viz. the cerebral caudo-dorsal cell hormone (CDCH) and the dorsal body hormone (DBH). In vitro experiments involving addition of extracts of various parts of the cerebral ganglion-dorsal body (DB) complex to albumen glands showed that neither CDCH nor DBH causes the influx of Ca2+ into the mitochondria of the gland cells, but that another factor is responsible. The factor is present in the cerebral commissure. It is pronase sensitive and heat stable. The factor is released from isolated cerebral ganglia-DB complexes upon stimulation with 8-chlorophenylthio-cAMP. Probably the factor is a CDC peptide. It is called Calfluxin.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000378:metabolism*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000502:physiology*; D011402:Pronase / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D009479:Neuropeptides; C052144:calfluxin; D011402:Pronase; D002118:Calcium