The pineal organ of Raja clavata: opsin immunoreactivity and ultrastructure

The pineal organ of Raja clavata was studied by light and electron microscopy, including the immunocytochemical antiopsin reaction. The pineal organ of the ray consists of three portions: (i) a large proximal pineal, (ii) a long tube-like connecting stalk, and (iii) a short distal terminal enlargement. This latter end-vesicle lies in the deep connective tissue layers of the braincase. All portions of the pineal are composed of pinealocytes, intrinsic neurons, ependymal/glial cells, and bundles of nerve fibers embedded in thin neuropil formations. The inner segments of the pinealocytes protrude into the lumen in all parts of the organ and usually contain basal bodies and numerous mitochondria. Often, two outer segments were found to arise from the basal bodies of a single inner segment. By means of light-microscopic immunocytochemistry the outer segments showed a strong antiopsin reaction. The axons of the pinealocytes form ribbon-containing synapses on dendrite-like profiles, which appear to belong to the intrinsic pineal neurons. There are other axo-dendritic synapses established by presynaptic terminals lacking ribbons and containing granular and synaptic vesicles. Pineal neurons may contain granular vesicles approximately 60-100 nm in diameter; their processes contribute to the bundles of unmyelinated axons. The fine structural organization of the pineal organ and the opsin immunoreactivity of the outer segments of the pinealocytes indicate a photoreceptive capacity of the organ. The double outer segments represent a peculiar multiplication of the photoreceptor structures.