Cerebrovascular ß-dystroglycan immunoreactivity in vertebrates: not detected in anurans and in the teleosts Ostariophysi and Euteleostei.

The aim of the present paper was to check for the presence of cerebrovascular dystroglycan in vertebrates, because dystroglycan, which is localized in the vascular astroglial end-feet, has a pivotal function in glio-vascular connections. In mammalian brains, the immunoreactivity of ß-dystroglycan subunit delineates the vessels. The results of the present study demonstrate similar patterns in other vertebrates, except for anurans and the teleost groups Ostariophysi and Euteleostei. In this study, we investigated 1 or 2 representative species of the main groups of Chondrichthyes, teleost and non-teleost ray-finned fishes, urodeles, anurans, and reptiles. We also investigated 5 mammalian and 3 bird species. Animals were obtained from breeders or fishermen. The presence of ß-dystroglycan was investigated immunohistochemically in free-floating sections. Pre-embedding electron microscopical immunohistochemistry on Heterodontus japonicus shark brains demonstrated that in Elasmobranchii, ß-dystroglycan is also localized in the perivascular glial end-feet despite the different construction of their blood-brain barrier. The results indicated that the cerebrovascular ß-dystroglycan immunoreactivity disappeared separately in anurans, and in teleosts, in the latter group before its division to Ostariophysi and Euteleostei. Immunohistochemistry in muscles and western blots from brain homogenates, however, detected the presence of ß-dystroglycan, even in anurans and all teleosts. A possible explanation is that in the glial end-feet, ß-dystroglycan is masked in these animals, or disappeared during adaptation to the freshwater habitat.

Somatosensory nucleus in the torus semicircularis of cyprinid teleosts.

Cytoarchitecture and fiber connections of the ventrolateral region of torus semicircularis were studied in goldfish and carp. Cytoarchitectural analyses indicate that two toral nuclei, ventrolateral (TSvl) and external (TSe) nuclei, are present in this toral region. The TSvl mainly receives lateral line inputs from the medial nucleus of the rhombencephalic octavolateral area, while the TSe mainly receives somatosensory fibers from the spinal cord, sensory trigeminal nuclei, and lateral funicular nucleus. The TSe also receives sparse fibers from the retina and the octavolateral area medial nucleus and sends descending fibers to the lateral funicular nucleus. Both toral nuclei receive projections from the ventromedial thalamic nucleus and the central part of dorsal telencephalic area, although the latter descending fibers terminate mainly in the TSvl. Both toral nuclei project to the rostrolateral region of lateral preglomerular nucleus, restricted to the somata layer of the dorsal zone of the region. Ventrolateral and external toral fibers, however, tended to reach lateral and medial zones of the somata layer, respectively. The present study suggests that there are three functional compartments within the cyprinid torus semicircularis (central nucleus: auditory, TSvl: lateral line, and TSe: somatosensory) and that sensory pathways arising from these toral compartments maintain largely separate ascending systems into the forebrain. The present study also extends knowledge of the organization and connections of the lateral valvular nucleus and nucleus praeeminentialis that project to the cerebellar granular layer and cerebellar crest, respectively.

Innervation of sonic muscles in teleosts: occipital vs. spinal nerves.

The innervation of sonic muscles in teleosts has been categorized into three types: occipital nerve, spinal nerve, and a combination of occipital and spinal nerves. The innervation patterns of sonic muscles were examined (or re-examined) in seven sonic fish species (rockfish, pinecone fish, sweeper, tigerfish, piranha, dory, and pollack) that use the sonic muscles to vibrate the swimbladder. The peripheral nerves (occipital or spinal) were identified based on skeletal preparations. The sonic muscle innervation was of the occipital type in four species (rockfish, pinecone fish, sweeper, and tigerfish) and of the spinal type in three species (piranha, dory, and pollack); none of the seven species examined showed the combination type. Therefore, we hypothesized that innervation patterns could be divided simply into occipital and spinal types. Moreover, the present results revealed that previously reported innervation patterns are inaccurate for three species (tigerfish, piranha, and dory) re-examined in this study. Therefore, it is important to define the peripheral nerves precisely, by using skeletal preparations, in future investigations of sonic muscle innervation.

Spinal nerve innervation to the sonic muscle and sonic motor nucleus in red piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri (Characiformes, Ostariophysi).

The red piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri, produces sounds by rapid contractions of a pair of extrinsic sonic muscles. The detailed innervation pattern of the sonic muscle of the red piranha was investigated. The sonic muscle is innervated by branches (sonic branches) of the third (S3so), fourth (S4so), and fifth (S5so) spinal nerves. The average total number of nerve fibers contained in the right sonic branches (n = 5; standard length, SL, 71-85 mm) was 151.8 (standard deviation, SD, 28.3). The occipital nerve did not innervate the sonic muscle. The sonic motor nucleus (SMN) in the piranha was identified by tracer methods using wheat germ agglutinin-conjugated horseradish peroxidase; labeled sonic motor neurons were only observed on the side ipsilateral to the sonic muscle injected with the tracer. In the transverse sections, the labeled sonic motor neurons were located in the dorsal zone (mainly large and medium neurons) and in the ventral zone (mainly small neurons) of the ventral horn. In the horizontal sections, the labeled neurons formed a rostrocaudally elongated SMN from the level of the caudal part of the second spinal nerve root to the intermediate region between the fifth and sixth spinal nerve roots. The average number of the labeled neurons (n = 5; SL, 64-87 mm) was 152.6 (SD, 7.3). We conclude that the sonic muscles of the piranha are innervated by approximately 300 sonic motor neurons located only in the spinal cord.

Retinal topography of ganglion cells and putative UV-sensitive cones in two Antarctic fishes: Pagothenia borchgrevinki and Trematomus bernacchii (Nototheniidae).

Accessory corner cones (ACC) have recently been suggested to be UV-sensitive photoreceptor cells. With a view toward explaining prey detection, we examined the topography of retinal ganglion cells and ACCs in two Antarctic nototheniids occupying different ecological niches: the cryopelagic Pagothenia borchgrevinki and the benthic Trematomus bernacchii. Isodensity maps of retinal ganglion cells showed that the main visual axis, coincident with the feeding vector, was in a forward direction in both species. Visual acuity was determined as 3.64 and 4.77 cycles/degree for the respective species. In P. borchgrevinki the highest density of ACCs was associated with the eye's main visual axis. This suggested that this species uses UV-vision during forward-swims and probably in encounters with prey. On the other hand, T. bernacchii possessed two horizontal band-shaped high-density areas of ACCs, which stretched from temporal to nasal and ventral to peripheral retinal regions. Therefore, this species appears to use UV-vision to watch prey across the entire circumference of the lateral area and in the water column above its head.

Guanine-type retinal tapetum and ganglion cell topography in the retina of a carangid fish, Kaiwarinus equula.

A guanine-type retinal tapetum was recorded in the eyes of a carangid fish Kaiwarinus equula (= Carangoides equula), spectrophotometric evidence of such being presented. The total amount of guanine in one eye was about 6.5 mg, the guanine density being ca. 1.3 mg cm(-2) over the retinal surface area. To examine the guanine distribution within the retina, the latter was divided into 21 regions. An area of high guanine density (more than 2.0 mg cm(-2)) was observed in the dorsal fundus of the retina, suggesting that the most sensitive vision was checked downward. Using whole-mount retinal preparations, the distribution of Nissl-stained cells within the retinal ganglion cell layer was examined. The greatest cell density area (area centralis) was observed only in the temporal retina. The visual acuity of the area centralis was 4.3 cycles deg(-1), suggesting that high resolution and binocular vision were directed frontally in this species. The eyes of a related carangid (Pseudocaranx dentex), lacking a tapetum, were also examined for comparison. The possible ecological advantage resulting from the tapetum is discussed in terms of visual threshold.