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Distribution and function of an Aplysia cardioexcitatory peptide, NdWFamide, in pulmonate snails
F Morishita1, H Minakata, K Sasaki
1Department of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, 1-3-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8526, Hiroshima, Japan. fumi425@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
The distribution and function of an Aplysia cardioexcitatory peptide, NdWFamide, were examined in the nervous system of pulmonate snails. We chemically identified the authentic NdWFamide from a land snail (Euhadra congenita) and a freshwater snail (Lymnaea stagnalis). NdWFamide potentiated the heartbeat of those snails. Immunohistochemistry using anti-NdWFamide antibody demonstrated the distribution of NdWFamide-containing neurons and fibers in the central nervous system, as well as peripheral tissues, such as the cardiovascular region and accessory sex organs. These results suggest that NdWFamide is a neuropeptide mediating the neural regulation of the activity of the cardiovascular and reproductive systems of snails.
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