Electron microscopic analysis of S-antigen- and serotonin-immunoreactive neural and sensory elements in the photosensory pineal organ of the salmon.

ABSTRACT

Photoreceptor cells in the pineal complex of poikilothermic vertebrates are regarded as homologous with the neuroendocrine pinealocytes in the mammalian pineal organ. They possess an indolamine metabolism, and they contain a number of substances that are immunochemically similar to photo-transduction-related proteins otherwise found in photoreceptors of the lateral eye retina. Using correlative light and electron microscopic pre-embedding immunocytochemistry, we have identified photosensory and neural elements that are immunoreactive with specific antisera against serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine) and the 48 kDa soluble protein S-antigen (arrestin). One type of serotonin-immunoreactive (5HTir) photoreceptor cell was identified. This was characterized by a short basal pole, into which an immunonegative (post-synaptic?) element protruded. Two types of S-antigen-immunoreactive (SAir) photoreceptor cells were observed, one characterized by a short basal pole, similar to that of the 5HTir photoreceptors and the other characterized by a long, extensively branching basal pole. In addition, two types of neurons bearing no morphological specializations typical of photoreceptor cells were SAir bipolar neurons and multipolar neurons. These were often situated dorsally in the pineal organ. The results indicate an emergence of multiple lines of photoreceptor-derived "pinealocytes" either early in phylogeny, or independently in different taxa. The results are discussed in relation to current theories of pineal evolution.