title: Molecular characterization of NOS in a mollusc: expression in a giant modulatory neuron.
abstract: Here we report on the molecular characterization of the first molluscan NOS in the CNS of the pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis. This Lymnaea NOS (Lym-nNOS) which is expressed preferentially in the CNS is most similar to mammalian neuronal NOS but contains tandem repeats of a seven amino acid motif not found in any other known NOS. We have localized Lym-nNOS to the serotonergic cerebral giant cells (CGCs) which modulate synaptic transmission within a neural network that generates feeding behavior. Our results suggest that the CGCs employ both NO and serotonin in the modulation of the central neural network underlying feeding.
authors.affiliation: Sussex Centre for Neuroscience, School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Korneev
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Piper
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Picot
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: E I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Korneeva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: O'Shea
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001048:Aplysia / Q000201:enzymology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D048429:Cell Size; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000201:enzymology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D002118:Calcium