BIOCHEMICAL DETECTION AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF ENKEPHALIN-LIKE SUBSTANCES IN PERIPHERAL-TISSUES OF THE SCALLOP PECTEN-MAXIMUS (LINNAEUS)
M. Henry et al., BIOCHEMICAL DETECTION AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL LOCALIZATION OF ENKEPHALIN-LIKE SUBSTANCES IN PERIPHERAL-TISSUES OF THE SCALLOP PECTEN-MAXIMUS (LINNAEUS), Journal of molluscan studies, 61, 1995, pp. 483-490
This study focused on the biochemical detection of the methionine-enke
phalin-, leucine-enkephalin-and methionine-enkephalin-arg-gly-leu-like
peptides in the stomach, digestive gland, male and female gonads, mus
cle, gill and mantle of the scallop Pecten maximus using specific radi
oimmunoassays. Enkephalin-like substances were mainly present in the s
tomach and in the digestive gland, where leucine-enkephalin-and methio
nine-enkephalin-arg-gly-leu-like peptides were the predominant of thes
e substances. In the gonads, muscle, gill and mantle, the enkephalin-l
ike contents were close to the sensitivity threshold of the enkephalin
antibodies. The enkephalin-like contents measured in September, in th
e digestive complex, were significantly higher than in December, when
the bivalves have undergone a period of starvation. Immunohistochemica
l assays were performed on the stomach and the digestive gland to loca
lize the enkephalin-like materials. In these organs, which are the mai
n sites of the digestive process in Bivalvia, the enkephalin-like mate
rials were mainly confined to the endocrine-like cells. These results
suggest that in Pecten maximus, opioids may be involved in the digesti
ve processes mainly through enkephalin-endocrine-like cells.