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First published online February 20, 2004
Journal of Experimental Biology 207, 1163-1182 (2004)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2004
doi: 10.1242/jeb.00856

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The anterior cardiac plexus: an intrinsic neurosecretory site within the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer productus

Andrew E. Christie^1,2,*, Shaun D. Cain², John M. Edwards^1,2, Todd A. Clason¹, Elena Cherny¹, Minhui Lin², Amitoz S. Manhas², Kirsten L. Sellereit², Nicholas G. Cowan², Kellen A. Nold², Hans-Peter Strassburg² and Katherine Graubard^1,2

¹ Department of Biology, University of Washington, Box 351800, Seattle, Washington 98195-1800 USA
² Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington, 620 University Road, Friday Harbor, Washington 98250 USA

^* Author for correspondence at address 1 (e-mail: crabman{at}u.washington.edu)

Accepted 5 January 2004

The stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) of decapod crustaceans is modulated by both locally released and circulating substances. In some species, including chelate lobsters and freshwater crayfish, the release zones for hormones are located both intrinsically to and at some distance from the STNS. In other crustaceans, including Brachyuran crabs, the existence of extrinsic sites is well documented. Little, however, is known about the presence of intrinsic neuroendocrine structures in these animals. Putative intrinsic sites have been identified within the STNS of several crab species, though ultrastructural confirmation that these structures are in fact neuroendocrine in nature remains lacking. Using a combination of anatomical techniques, we demonstrate the existence of a pair of neurosecretory sites within the STNS of the crab Cancer productus. These structures, which we have named the anterior cardiac plexi (ACPs), are located on the anterior cardiac nerves (acns), which overlie the cardiac sac region of the foregut. Each ACP starts several hundred µm from the origin of the acn and extends distally for up to several mm. Transmission electron microscopy done on these structures shows that nerve terminals are present in the peripheral portion of each acn, just below a well defined epineurium. These terminals contain dense-core and, occasionally, electron-lucent vesicles. In many terminals, morphological correlates of hormone secretion are evident. Immunocytochemistry shows that the ACPs are immunopositive for FLRFamide-related peptide. All FLRFamide labeling in the ACPs originates from four axons, which descend to these sites through the superior oesophageal and stomatogastric nerves. Moreover, these FLRFamide-immunopositive axons are the sole source of innervation to the ACPs. Collectively, our results suggest that the STNS of C. productus is not only a potential target site for circulating hormones, but also serves as a neuroendocrine release center itself.

Key words: incident light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, FLRFamide-related peptide, neurohormone, neuromodulation, crab, Cancer productus

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