Small cardioactive peptide B increases the responsiveness of the neural system underlying prey capture reactions in the pteropod mollusc, Clione limacina

• Published in: Journal of Experimental Zoology
• Main Authors: Norekian, Tigran P., Satterlie, Richard A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1994
• Subjects: Clione limacina
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jez.1402700203; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fjez.1402700203; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/jez.1402700203

Abstract Effects of small cardioactive peptide B (SCP B ) on cerebral neurons which underlie prey capture in the carnivorous pteropod mollusc, Clione limacina , were investigated. SCP B in concentrations of 10 μM and higher produced direct activation of cerebral ganglion neurons underlying extrusion of buccal cones used in prey capture. SCP B in lower concentrations, between 1 and 5 μM, did not have a noticeable effect on the membrane potentials of these neurons; however, it significantly increased their responsiveness to sensory inputs from the tactile stimulation of the head, and their ability to generate afterdischarge activity. SCP B immunoreactivity was observed in cell bodies in buccal, cerebral, pedal, and intestinal ganglia, as well as in the anterior esophagus and in buccal cones where fibers stained intensely. These electrophysiological and immunohistochemical data suggest that SCP B may have a physiological role in feeding arousal in Clione . © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.