Stimulation of peripheral ganglion cells in Helix pomatia L. by adenosine triphosphate.
The contractile activity of the penis retractor muscle (PRM) of Helix pomatia is controlled by both the central nervous system (CNS) and by a peripheral neural cell cluster. In the semi-intact PRM preparation, consisting of the PRM and the peripheral cell cluster without any attached central neuron, the CNS-mediated muscle activity was shown to be mimicked by exogenously applied adenosine triphosphate (ATP). This fact, coupled with the demonstration that ATP neither excites presynaptic motor nerve terminals nor postsynaptic sites at the neuromuscular junction, but exerts its action on the peripheral neural structures, may indicate a role of ATP in the neural transmission in the peripheral ganglionic mass at the base of the PRM.
Wabnitz
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RW
Institute of Zoology, RWTH Aachen, D-5100 Aachen G.F.R.