Characteristic differences in modulation of stomatogastric musculature by a neuropeptide in three species of Cancer crabs

• Published in: Journal of Comparative Physiology Vol. 194; no. 10; pp. 879 - 886
• Main Authors: Verley, Derek R, Doan, Vu, Trieu, Quoc, Messinger, Daniel I, Birmingham, John T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.10.2008; Springer-Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animal Physiology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Brachyura - anatomy & histology; Brachyura - physiology; Digestive System Physiological Phenomena - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Gastrointestinal Tract - cytology; Invertebrate Hormones - pharmacology; Life Sciences; Models, Molecular; Muscle Contraction - drug effects; Muscles - drug effects; Muscles - innervation; Neuromuscular Junction - drug effects; Neuromuscular Junction - physiology; Neuropeptides - chemistry; Neuropeptides - pharmacology; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Species Specificity; Zoology; Stomatogastric ganglion; Anterior cardiac plexus; Neurohormone; Neurosecretory; Neuropeptide; Contraction
• ISSN: 0340-7594; 1432-1351
• DOI: 10.1007/s00359-008-0359-6

Stomatogastric musculature from crabs in the genus Cancer provides a system in which modulatory roles of peptides from the FLRFamide family can be compared. The anterior cardiac plexus (ACP) is a neuroendocrine release site within the Cancer stomatogastric nervous system that is structurally identical in C. borealis, C. productus, and C. magister but that appears to contain FLRFamide-like peptide(s) only in C. productus. We measured the effect of TNRNFLRFamide on nerve-evoked contractions of muscles that were nearby, an intermediate distance, or far from the ACP. We found the spatial pattern of FLRFamidergic modulation of muscles in C. productus to be qualitatively different than in C. borealis or C. magister. In C. productus, muscles proximal to the ACP were more responsive than distal muscles. In C. borealis, FLRFamidergic response was less dependent on muscle location. These results suggest that functionally different roles of FLRFamides in modulating stomatogastric muscle movements may have evolved in different Cancer species.