title: Giant identified NO-releasing neurons and comparative histochemistry of putative nitrergic systems in gastropod molluscs.
abstract: Gastropod molluscs provide attractive model systems for behavioral and cellular analyses of the action of nitric oxide (NO), specifically due to the presence of many relatively giant identified nitrergic neurons in their CNS. This paper reviews the data relating to the presence and distribution of NO as well as its synthetic enzyme NO synthase (NOS) in the CNS and peripheral tissues in ecologically and systematically different genera representing main groups of gastropod molluscs. Several species (Lymnaea, Pleurobranchaea, and Aplysia) have been analyzed in greater detail with respect to immunohistochemical, biochemical, biophysical, and physiological studies to further clarify the functional role of NO in these animals.
authors.affiliation: The Whitney Laboratory and Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, St. Augustine, Florida 32086, USA. moroz@whitney.ufl.edu
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Moroz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001048:Aplysia / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000378:metabolism; D008974:Mollusca / Q000378:metabolism*; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase / Q000032:analysis; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D010828:Physiology, Comparative; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D009252:NADPH Dehydrogenase