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First published online August 28, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 2969-2976 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.032227
Buccal neurons activate ciliary beating in the foregut of the pteropod mollusk Clione limacina
Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
* Author for correspondence (malyshev{at}ihna.ru)
Accepted 25 June 2009
Beating of cilia lining the foregut of gastropods facilitates the swallowing of food and, therefore, plays a role in feeding behavior. Despite the fact that neural control of feeding is well studied in mollusks, no neurons controlling ciliary beating in the foregut have been identified to date. Here we describe for the first time a pair of buccal neurons innervating the foregut of Clione. Intracellular stimulation of these neurons induced vigorous activation of cilia lining the foregut in a semi-intact preparation. Using immunochemistry labeling, buccal foregut cells were found to contain peptides similar to CNP neuropeptides of the terrestrial snail Helix lucorum. Application of DYPRL-amide, a member of the Helix CNP peptide family, mimicked the effect of buccal foregut cell stimulation on ciliary activity. Induction of fictive feeding in an isolated CNS preparation resulted in the activation of buccal foregut cells suggesting that these cells control ciliary beating in the foregut during feeding. Thus, cilia-activating buccal neurons may represent a new intrinsic element of the neural control of feeding in gastropods.
Key words: pteropod mollusk, feeding behavior, cilia, foregut, neuron
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