Galanin-like immunoreactivity in the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima

Galanin, a neuropeptide of 29 amino acids originally purified from porcine small intestine, has been found in most vertebrate groups, where it is present in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. In this study, galanin-like immunoreactivity was detected in an invertebrate, the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima. In this organism, fibers and cells expressing galanin-like immunoreactivity were found in the enteric nerve plexuses of the esophagus, and large and small intestine, particularly in the serosal layer. Immunoreactivity was also found in the ectoneural portion of the radial nerve and in nervous elements within the body wall. Preabsorbtion tests indicated that the observed immunoreactivity was not due to cross-reactivity of the antibody with other peptides also found in the intestinal plexuses. The immunoreactivity to galanin was quantified in various tissues using radioimmunoassay and partially characterized with high performance liquid chromatography. These results show that although the holothurian peptide shows common immunological determinants with porcine galanin, it differs with regard to certain biochemical properties.