title: An immunohistochemical study of the endocrine cells within the pancreas, intestine, and stomach of the gar (Lepisosteus osseus L.)
abstract: The distribution and identity of the various endocrine cell types were examined in the pancreas, stomach, and anterior intestine of the phylogenetically ancient actinopterygian, the gar (Lepisosteus osseus L.), using immunohistochemistry. Antisera used were directed against several insulins (INSs) and somatostatins (SSTs), and members of the pancreatic polypeptide (PP, aPY, NPY) and glucagon (GLUC, GLP) families. In the gar pancreas the most pronounced aggregation of islet tissue is among the exocrine acini near the union of extrahepatic common bile duct with the gastrointestinal junction. Four immunoreactive cell types were identified within well-defined islets (A, B, D, and F cells) but immunoreactive cell types were also seen isolated among the exocrine acini. Centrally located B cells were immunoreactive with mammalian and lamprey INS antisera whereas the widely dispersed D cells immunostained with anti-SST-14, -25, and -34. SST was also localized in the epithelium of the pancreatic ducts. There was a colocalization of immunoreactivity for each member of the PP and GLU families at the periphery of each islet to identify F and A cells, respectively. However, colocalization of peptides from both families is suspected for at least some cells. Although the gastric and intestinal mucosae showed a similar pattern of immunoreactivity to GLP and not GLU, they had contrasting immunoreactivity with the two INS antisera. SST immunoreactivity was restricted to the stomach, whereas three of the four PP-family peptides were only immunoreactive in the intestine. Immunoreactivity to the various antisera used in the study imply that there may be an organ-specific processing of preproinsulin, that the gar SST profile may be more similar to agnathan and bowfin rather than either elasmobranch or teleost SSTs, and that only the GLP portion of the preproglucagon gene is expressed in the gastrointestinal mucosa. Our results are consistent with other recent endocrine studies showing that the gar is a widely distinct actinopterygian.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Groff
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Youson
mesh_terms: D001078:APUD Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D000818:Animals; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000166:cytology