Summary
Frozen sections of the corpus ventriculi, antrum pyloricum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum and colon from animals perfusion fixed with glutaraldehyde were treated with an antiserum specific for glutaraldehyde-fixed GABA and processed by the peroxidase antiperoxidase method. Semithin plastic sections from the antrum pyloricum were treated similarly. Stained cells appeared in the epithelium of all segments examined except the corpus ventriculi. The highest density of cells was observed along the major curvature of the antrum pyloricum. Here they were located in the bottom half of the gastric glands. Many of the cells showed a process extending towards the glandular lumen. No significant staining in the epithelium appeared when the antiserum was preincubated with glutaraldehyde-GABA complexes, nor when the anti-GABA serum was exchanged with anti-glycine or preimmune serum. The present findings and previous physiological data suggest that GABA may play a role in gut endocrine regulation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dale N, Ottersen OP, Roberts A, Storm-Mathisen J (1986) Inhibitory neurones of a motor pattern generator in Xenopus revealed by antibodies to glycine. Nature 324:255–257
Davanger S, Ottersen OP, Storm-Mathisen J (1987a) Immunocytochemical localization of GABA in cat myenteric plexus. Neurosci Lett 73:27–32
Davanger S, Ottersen OP, Storm-Mathisen J (1987b) GABA-containing cells in the gastrointestinal epithelium of rat. Neuroscience 22 [Suppl]:S816
Srdö SL, Joo F, Amenta F, Ezer E (1987) Characterization and function of a non-neuronal GABA system in rat stomach. Neuroscience 22 [Suppl]:S348
Harty RF, Franklin PA (1983) GABA affects the release of gastrin and somatostatin from rat antral mucosa. Nature 303:623–624
Harty RF, Murthy SNS (1986) GABAergic mechanisms in the endocrine stomach and duodenum: Their possible functional significance. In: Erdö SL, Bowery NG (eds) GABAergic mechanisms in the mammalian periphery. Raven Press, New York, pp 339–352
Hills JM, Jessen KR, Mirsky R (1987) An immunohistochemical study of the distribution of enteric GABA-containing neurons in the rat and guinea-pig intestine. Neurosci 22:301–312
Hobbiger F (1958) Effects of γ-aminobutyric acid on the isolated mammalian ileum. J Physiol (Lond) 142:147–164
Håkanson R, Alumets J, Stewart JA, Sundler F (1978) Does glutamate decarboxylase occur in endocrine cells of gut and pancreas? Scand J Gastroenterol 13 [Suppl 49]:74
Jessen KR, Mirsky R, Dennison ME, Burnstock G (1979) GABA may be a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate peripheral nervous system. Nature 281:71–74
Jessen KR, Hills JM, Saffrey MJ (1986) Immunohistochemical demonstration of GABAergic neurons in the enteric nervous system. J Neurosci 6:1628–1634
Jessen KR, Mirsky R, Hills JM (1987) GABA as an autonomic neurotransmitter: studies on intrinsic GABAergic neurons in the myenteric plexus of the gut. Trends Neurosci 10:255–262
Kawai K, Unger RH (1983) Effects of γ-aminobutyric acid on insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin release from isolated perfused dog pancreas. Endocrinology 113:111–113
Lloyd KG, Proteau M, Delahaye M, Magnier G, Voltz C (1986) GABA, gastric ulceration, and gastric acid secretion. In: Erdö SL, Bowery NG (eds) GABAergic mechanisms in the mammalian periphery. Raven Press, New York, pp 353–364
Ottersen OP, Storm-Mathisen J (1984) Glutamate- and GABA-containing neurons in the mouse and rat brain, as demonstrated with a new immunocytochemical technique. J Comp Neurol 229:274–392
Ottersen OP, Storm-Mathisen J, Madsen S, Skumlien S, Strømhaug J (1986) Evaluation of the immunocytochemical method for amino acids. Med Biol 64:147–158
Ottersen OP, Davanger S, Storm-Mathisen J (1987) Glycine-like immunoreactivity in the cerebellum of rat and Senegalese baboon, Papio papio: a comparison with the distribution of GABA-like immunoreactivity and with [3H]glycine and [3H]GABA uptake. Exp Brain Res 66:211–221
Owman C, Håkanson R, Sundler F (1973) Occurence and function of amines in endocrine cells producing polypeptide hormones. Federation Proc 32:1785–1791
Pearse AGE (1969) The cytochemistry and ultrastructure of polypeptide hormone-producing cells of the APUD series and the embryologic, physiologic and pathologic implications of the concept. J Histochem Cytochem 17:303–313
Pearse AGE (1981) The diffuse neuroendocrine system: Falsification and verification of a concept. In: Grossman MI, Brazier MAB, Lechago J (eds) Cellular basis of chemical messengers in the digestive system. Academic Press, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, San Francisco, pp 13–19
Saito N, Tanaka C (1986) Immunohistochemical demonstration of GABA containing neurons in the guinea pig ileum using purified GABA antiserum. Brain Res 376:78–84
Sakue M, Saito N, Tanaka C (1987) Immunohistochemical localization of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the rat pancreas. Histochemistry 86:365–369
Somogyi P, Hodgson AJ, Smith AD, Nunzi MG, Gorio A, Wu J-Y (1984) Different populations of GABAergic neurons in the visual cortex and hippocampus of cat contain somatostatinor cholecystokininimmunoreactive material. J Neurosci 4:2590–2603
Sternberger LA (1979) Immunocytochemistry, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York, pp 354
Storm-Mathisen J, Leknes AK, Bore AT, Vaaland JL, Edminson P, Haug FMS, Ottersen OP (1983) First visualization of glutamate and GABA in neurones by immunocytochemistry. Nature 301:517–520
Sundler F, Ekblad E, Böttcher G, Alumets J, Håkanson R (1985) Coexistence of peptides in the neuroendocrine system. In: Håkanson R, Thorell J (eds) Biogenetics of neurohormonal peptides. Academic Press, London, pp 213–243
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Davanger, S., Ottersen, O.P. & Storm-Mathisen, J. GABA-immunoreactive cells in the rat gastrointestinal epithelium. Anat Embryol 179, 221–226 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326586
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00326586