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The innervation of the pyloric region of the crab,Cancer borealis: Homologous muscles in decapod species are differently innervated

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Summary

The muscles of the pyloric region of the stomach of the crab,Cancer borealis, are innervated by motorneurons found in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG). Electrophysiological recording and stimulating techniques were used to study the detailed pattern of innervation of the pyloric region muscles. Although there are two Pyloric Dilator (PD) motorneurons in lobsters, previous work reported four PD motorneurons in the crab STG (Dando et al. 1974; Hermann 1979a, b). We now find that only two of the crab PD neurons innervate muscles homologous to those innervated by the PD neurons in the lobster,Panulirus interrruptus. The remaining two PD neurons innervate muscles that are innervated by pyloric (PY) neurons inP. interruptus. The innervation patterns of the Lateral Pyloric (LP), Ventricular Dilator (VD), Inferior Cardiac (IC), and PY neurons were also determined and compared with those previously reported in lobsters. Responses of the muscles of the pyloric region to the neurotransmitters, acetylcholine (ACh) and glutamate, were determined by application of exogenous cholinergic agonists and glutamate. The effect of the cholinergic antagonist, curare, on the amplitude of the excitatory junctional potentials (EJPs) evoked by stimulation of the pyloric motor nerves was measured. These experiments suggest that the differences in innervation pattern of the pyloric muscles seen in crab and lobsters are also associated with a change in the neurotransmitter active on these muscles. Possible implications of these findings for phylogenetic relations of decapod crustaceans and for the evolution of neural circuits are discussed.

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Abbreviations

ACh :

acetylcholine

Carb :

carbamylcholine

cpv :

muscles of the cardio-pyloric valve

cpv7n :

nerve innervating muscle cpv7

cv :

muscles of the ventral cardiac ossicles

cv1n :

nerve innervating muscle cvl

cv2n :

nerve innervating muscle cv2

EJP :

excitatory junctional potential

IC :

inferior cardiac neuron

IV :

inferior ventricular neuron

IVN :

inferior ventricular nerve

LP :

lateral pyloric neuron

LPG :

lateral posterior gastric neuron

lvn :

lateral ventricular nerve

mvn :

medial ventricular nerve

p :

muscles of the pylorus

PD :

pyloric dilator neuron

PD in :

intrinsic PD neuron

PD ex :

extrinsic PD neuron

pdn :

pyloric dilator nerve

PY :

pyloric neuron

pyn :

pyloric nerve

STG :

stomatogastric ganglion

VD :

ventricular dilator neuron

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Author notes

  1. Scott L. Hooper

    Present address: Laboratoire de Neurobiologie Comparée, CNRS, 33120, F-Arcachon, France

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Brandeis University, 02254, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA

    Scott L. Hooper, Michael B. O'Neil, Robert Wagner, John Ewer, Jorge Golowasch & Eve Marder

Authors
  1. Scott L. Hooper
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  2. Michael B. O'Neil
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  3. Robert Wagner
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  4. John Ewer
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  6. Eve Marder
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Hooper, S.L., O'Neil, M.B., Wagner, R. et al. The innervation of the pyloric region of the crab,Cancer borealis: Homologous muscles in decapod species are differently innervated. J. Comp. Physiol. 159, 227–240 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612305

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