title: Nervous control of photophores in luminescent fishes.
abstract: Functional studies of the autonomic innervation in the photophores of luminescent fishes are scarce. The majority of studies have involved either the stimulation of isolated photophores or the modulatory effects of adrenaline-induced light emission. The fish skin is a highly complex organ that performs a wide variety of physiological processes and receives extensive nervous innervations. The latter includes autonomic nerve fibers of spinal sympathetic origin having a secretomotor function. More recent evidence indicates that neuropeptide-containing nerve fibers, such as those that express tachykinin and its NK1 receptor, neuropeptide Y, or nitric oxide, may also play an important role in the nervous control of photophores. There is no anatomical evidence that shows that nNOS positive (nitrergic) neurons form a population distinct from the secretomotor neurons with perikarya in the sympathetic ganglia. The distribution and function of the nitrergic nerves in the luminous cells, however, is less clear. It is likely that the chemical properties of the sympathetic postganglionic neurons in the ganglia of luminescent fishes are target-specific, such as observed in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology and Marine Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Messina, Via Salita Sperone 31, I-98166 Messina, Italy. gzaccone@unime.it
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zaccone
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abelli
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salpietro
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zaccone
authors.forename: Battesimo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Macrì
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marino
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D005399:Fishes / Q000502:physiology*; D049449:Luminescence; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000502:physiology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000502:physiology; D012867:Skin / Q000294:innervation*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena
chemical_list: D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I