Atrial granular cells of the snail Achatina fulica release proteins into hemolymph after stimulation of the heart nerve.
The atrium of the gastropod mollusc Achatina fulica receives rich innervation and contains numerous granular cells (GCs). We studied the atrial innervation and discovered that axon profiles typical in appearance of peptidergic neurons form close unspecialized membrane contacts with GCs. Then, we investigated, at both morphological and biochemical levels, the effect of electrical stimulation of the heart nerve on GCs of Achatina heart perfused in situ. The ultrastructural study demonstrated changes in granule morphology consistent with secretion. These events included alteration of granule content, intracellular granule fusion and formation of complex degranulation channels, within which the granule matrix solubilized. It was shown that electrical stimulation resulted in a significant increase of the total protein concentration in the perfusate. Furthermore, SDS-PAGE analysis of the perfusate revealed three new proteins with molecular masses of 16, 22, and 57 kDa. Affinity-purified polyclonal antibodies against the 16 kDa protein were obtained; the whole-mount immunofluorescence technique revealed the presence of this protein in the granules of atrial GCs. In GCs of the stimulated atrium, a progressive loss of their granular content was observed. The results suggest that the central nervous system can modulate the secretory activity of the atrial GCs through non-synaptic pathways.
Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tikhoretsky Avenue 4, St Petersburg 194064, Russia. buddasvami@gmail.com
Sergej V
SV
Shabelnikov
Olga A
OA
Bystrova
Vadim A
VA
Ivanov
Boris A
BA
Margulis
Marina
M
Martynova
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015550:Cell Degranulation; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000378:metabolism; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000294:innervation / Q000378:metabolism; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000378:metabolism*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012908:Snails / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism