title: Anatomy of the Hesse photoreceptor cell axonal system in the central nervous system of amphioxus.
abstract: The present study reports the organization of the Hesse cell axonal system in the central nervous system of the amphioxus, with the use of a polyclonal antiserum raised against lamprey gonadotropin-releasing hormone-I (GnRH-I). In the spinal cord, the rhabdomeric photoreceptor cells of the bicellular organs were well labeled with this antibody. These cells sent smooth, straight, lateral processes that bent and became beaded as they passed ventrally and crossed to the contralateral side of the cord. There, the processes of several cells aggregated to give rise to a longitudinal fiber bundle. Beaded collaterals of these processes were directed to ventral neuropil and did not appear to contact giant Rohde cell axons. The crossed projections of the Hesse photoreceptors are compared with those of vertebrate retinal ganglion cells. Other antisera raised against GnRH weakly labeled rhabdomeric photoreceptors located dorsally in the brain, the Joseph cells. The finding that GnRH antibodies label amphioxus photoreceptor cells and axons is not definitive proof that the photoreceptors contain GnRH. Regardless of whether the antibody recognizes amphioxus GnRH, which has not yet been identified by structure, the antibody has revealed the processes of the Hesse photoreceptor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becerra
authors.forename: María Jesús
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Manso
authors.forename: Nancy M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Sherwood
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anadón
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000166:cytology*; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C097498:lamprey GnRH-I; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid