title: Developmental expression of tryptophan hydroxylase gene in Ciona intestinalis.
abstract: To describe the serotonergic system in a tunicate larva, we cloned a gene encoding for tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin synthesis, in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis and studied its expression pattern during development. Ci-TPH expression was found from tailbud stage in the precursor cells of the visceral ganglion and in the tail. In the larva, TPH-expressing neurons formed two clusters in the anterior central nervous system at the level of the visceral ganglion. Moreover, we found Ci-TPH expression at the level of the muscle cells of the tail and suggested that this localisation might be at the level of neuro-muscular junctions. Moreover, we discussed the involvement of serotonin in the control of larval locomotory activity.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Milano, via Celoria 26, 20133 Milano, Italy. roberta.pennati@unimi.it
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pennati
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Candiani
authors.forename: Maira
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biggiogero
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zega
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Groppelli
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oliveri
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parodi
authors.forename: Fiorenza
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Bernardi
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pestarino
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002938:Ciona intestinalis / Q000196:embryology* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000201:enzymology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase