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Polymorphous granular cells in the lung of the primitive fish, the bichir P olypterus senegalus
Author(s) -
Zaccone Daniele,
Icardo Jose Manuel,
Kuciel Michał,
Alesci Alessio,
Pergolizzi Simona,
Satora Leszek,
Lauriano Eugenia Rita,
Zaccone Giacomo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/azo.12145
Subject(s) - colocalization , biology , immune system , innate immune system , immunohistochemistry , parenchyma , microbiology and biotechnology , immunology , botany
This study describes the distribution and the coexpression of specific neurochemical markers in both neuroendocrine‐like cells ( NEC ‐like) and polymorphous granular cells ( PGC s) that populate the mucociliated epithelium of the lung in the air‐breathing fish Polypterus senegalus , using confocal immunohistochemistry. Using confocal immunohistochemistry, we determined the coexpression of specific neurochemical markers. Colocalization studies showed that 5 HT is coexpressed with calbindin and nNOS and choline acetyltransferase (Ch AT ) is coexpressed with nNOS in the PGC s. This study also shows for the first time the simultaneous occurrence of piscidin 1 and 5 HT in the PGC s. The function of these cells being equivalent to ones found in fish gill subepithelial parenchyma is still not known. Due to the importance of piscidin 1 in local immune defence, more research is to be useful to understand a possible interaction of PGC s with immune response in the bichir lung. In fact, the capacity of PGC s to produce NO and other neuroactive substances found in immune cells of fish may represent a primitive form of immunoregulation of innate immunity and specifically antimicrobial function as NO induction and respiratory burst activity are correlated with immune response.