Effects of eyestalk extracts and ecdysterone on water intake through the anus of the crayfish

Serotonergic modulation of crayfish hindgut

The crayfish hindgut is a morphologically differentiated tube that varies along its length in the distribution of muscles and glands, contractile properties, serotonergic innervation, patterns of 5-HT receptor expression, and sensitivity to serotonin (5-HT). Anatomical differences divide the hindgut into five distinct segments along its length. Spontaneous pulsatile contractions produced by the isolated hindgut decrease in force and increase in frequency along the anterior-posterior axis. Central input to the hindgut comes from a large cluster of 5-HT-immunoreactive neurons in the terminal abdominal ganglion that form a large nerve plexus on the hindgut. 5-HT(1alpha) and 5-HT(2beta) receptors vary in their distribution along the hindgut, and are associated with longitudinal and circular muscles and with axon collaterals of the 5-HT-immunoreactive neurons. Application of 30 nmol l(-1) to 1 mumol l(-1) 5-HT to rostral, middle, or caudal sections of hindgut produced tension changes that varied with the concentration and section. 5-HT also initiated antiperistaltic waves in the posterior hindgut. These results indicate that 5-HT is an important neuromodulator for initiating contractions and coordinating activity in the different functional compartments along the rostral-to-caudal axis of the hindgut.

Neuroendocrine control of hydromineral regulation in the American lobster Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards 1837 (Crustacea, Decapoda). 1. Juveniles

Juvenile lobsters survive well in salinities above 10.2% (300 mOsm/kg), and their osmotic and ionic (Cl-, Na+, Ca2+) regulation in dilute sea water is slightly hyperosmotic, similar to that of adults. Approximately a month after eyestalk ablation, osmotic and ionic (Cl-, Na+) regulation becomes isosmotic, water content increases, and survival rate in dilute sea water declines, but these changes can be partially reversed by implantation of eyestalk neuroendocrine tissue. Regulation of Ca2+, in contrast, is only slightly affected by eyestalk ablation. These results indicate that osmotic regulation and regulation of hemolymph Na+ and Cl- concentrations are at least partly controlled by eyestalk neuroendocrine factors in this species.