First published online August 31, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 3179-3187 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.002394
Serotonin and nitric oxide interaction in the control of bioluminescence in northern krill, Meganyctiphanes norvegica (M. Sars)
Jenny Krönström1,*,
Samuel Dupont2,
Jerome Mallefet3,
Michael Thorndyke2 and
Susanne Holmgren1
1 Department of Zoophysiology, Göteborg University, Box 463, SE 405 30
Göteborg, Sweden
2 Kristineberg Marine Research Station, SE 450 34 Fiskebäckskil,
Sweden
3 Lab Marine Biology, Catholic University of Louvain, B-1348
Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

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Fig. 1. Schematic picture of a longitudinal section through a ventral photophore
from krill. Light is produced in the lantern (La) that is made up by processes
from B-cells (possibly photocytes; B) and refractive rods. Light produced in
the lantern is reflected against the inside of the organ wall (reflector; R)
and passes through a lens (Le) before leaving the photophore. Apart from
B-cells, three other cell types are present in the organ – large A-cells
(A) and smaller C-cells (C) and D-cells (D). On both sides of the lens,
photophore vessels (V) and nerves (N) enter the organ. Capillaries branch off
from the arteries and pass both D- and C-cells before they empty in the
lantern. Nerves follow the capillaries and end at a sphincter-like structure
at the base of the C-cells. Modified from Herring and Locket
(Herring and Locket, 1978 )
with permission.
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Fig. 2. Parameters used to characterize the light response. An asymmetrical growth
curve (Gompertz equation) was fitted to the accumulated original data from the
luminometer recordings. L, cumulative value of light emitted (q s
s–1); Ltot, the total amount of light (q
s–1); RLPmax, rate of light production (q
s–2) at inflection point (ip) and tip,
time to the inflection point (s).
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Fig. 3. Longitudinal sections of ventral photophores from M. norvegica.
5-HT-IR fibres are found throughout the light organ (A; for example, at the
arrows) following capillaries and ending at the lantern (C; for example, at
the arrows). Staining is abundant at the junction (D, arrow) between C-cells
(D, arrowhead) and capillaries where the capillaries open into the lantern.
Controls without primary antibody do not show any non-specific binding of the
secondary antibodies (B). La, lantern; Le, lens; R, reflector. Scale bars, 50
µm in A,B; 10 µm in C,D.
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Fig. 4. Transversal (A,B) and longitudinal (C) sections of ventral light organs
from M. norvegica. NOS-like IR is detected around capillaries at the
base of C-cells (A: staining at arrows, C-cells at arrowheads). IR against NOS
is also detected along the capillaries in the peripheral parts of the light
organ (B, arrows) and at both sides of the lens (C, arrows), possibly where
the photophore arteries enter the light organ. La, lantern; Le, lens; R,
reflector. Scale bars, 10 µm.
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Fig. 5. Comparison of the total amount of light (Ltot)
produced, as a response to 5-HT (0.03 mmol l–1), between the
different months when experiments were performed. Some specimens tested in
April and June were very bright, hence the large mean value of
Ltot and the large variation in response in these months.
Number of replicates (non-converging data in brackets, not included in the
analysis): Sept., N=8 (1); Nov., N=9 (1); Dec.,
N=10; Apr., N=14 (4); June, N=10 (1); Sept.,
N=10 (2); error bars indicate s.e.m.
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Fig. 6. Effect of the NO donors SNP and SNAP on the 5-HT-stimulated light response.
White bars are 5-HT controls (0.03 mmol l–1 5-HT). Injection
of either 5-HT and SNP (0.3 mmol l–1) or 5-HT and SNAP (0.3
mmol l–1) results in a significantly lower
Ltot than injection of 5-HT per se (A,
P<0.05). 5-HT controls from September (2004) and December (2004)
were combined in the SNAP analysis. Injection of 5-HT and SNAP (0.3 mmol
l–1) results in a significantly lower
RLPmax (B) and a significantly higher
tip (C) than injection of 5-HT per se
(P<0.05). SNP did not affect these parameters. Number of
replicates (non-converging data in brackets, not included in the analysis):
SNP treatment: 5-HT, N=8 (1); 5-HT+SNP (0.03 mmol
l–1), N=5; 5-HT+ SNP (0.3 mmol
l–1), N=6 (2); SNAP treatment: 5-HT
Ltot, N=18 (1); 5-HT RLPmax,
tip, N=10; 5-HT+SNAP, N=8 (1); error
bars indicate s.e.m.
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Fig. 7. Effect of the NOS inhibitor L-NAME on the 5-HT-stimulated light
response. White bars are 5-HT controls (0.03 mmol l–1 5-HT).
Injection of L-NAME (3.0 mmol l–1) together with
5-HT gave a significantly higher Ltot
(P<0.05), compared with the 5-HT control (A). As this treatment
was performed in two different months (November and April) a two-factor ANOVA
with `treatment' and `month' as factors was used to determine the effect of
L-NAME. Month had no significant effect on
Ltot. The lower concentrations of L-NAME used
had no effect on the Ltot of the 5-HT response. In
September and April the 5-HT and L-NAME treatment (0.3 and 3.0 mmol
l–1 L-NAME, respectively) gave a slower response
with longer tip (B) and a higher
RLPmax (C) compared with the 5-HT control
(P<0.05). Number of replicates (non-converging data in brackets,
not included in the analysis): 5-HT, June, N=10 (1);
5-HT+L-NAME, June, N=8; 5-HT, Sept., N=10 (2);
5-HT+L-NAME, Sept., N=9; 5-HT, Nov., N=9 (1);
5-HT+L-NAME, Nov., N=9 (2); 5-HT, Apr., N=14 (4);
5-HT+L-NAME, Apr., N=15; error bars indicate s.e.m.
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Fig. 8. Effects of the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor ODQ (0.01 mmol
l–1) on the 5-HT-stimulated light response (A,
Ltot; B, RLPmax; C,
tip). ODQ had no effect on the 5-HT-stimulated light
response. Numbers of replicates: 5-HT, N=10; 5-HT+ODQ, N=11;
error bars indicate s.e.m.
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Fig. 9. Effects of the cGMP analogue 8BrcGMP (0.3 mmol l–1) on the
5-HT-stimulated light response (A, Ltot; B,
RLPmax; C, tip). Responses of
specimens injected with both 5-HT and 8BrcGMP had a significantly lower
RLPmax compared with the 5-HT control (B,
P<0.05). Numbers of replicates: 5-HT, N=10; 5-HT+BrcGMP,
N=10; error bars indicate s.e.m.
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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007