Journal of Neuroscience, Vol 5, 29-39, Copyright © 1985 by Society for Neuroscience
Cholinergic neurons of the chick ciliary ganglia express adrenergic traits in vivo and in vitro
G Teitelman, TH Joh, L Grayson, DH Park, DJ Reis and L Iacovitti
In this study, we sought to determine whether neurons of the chick embryo
ciliary ganglia (CG), a parasympathetic cholinergic ganglia, can express
catecholaminergic (CA) traits. To accomplish this, we used
immunocytochemical techniques to examine the presence of the CA enzymes
tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT)
in CGs removed from chick embryo at day 8 of development (E8). Few neurons
containing TH but not PNMT were found in the E8 CG. To examine whether CG
neurons express CA enzymes in vitro, CGs removed from E8 chick embryo were
dissociated and kept in culture for 3 to 12 days. In 50% of the culture
dishes, some neurons contain TH or PNMT after 5 days in vitro. In an equal
proportion of culture plates, CG neurons did not express the enzymes. To
determine whether the proportion of CG neurons expressing TH or PNMT is
increased by tissue influences, ganglion cells were co-cultured with
notochord. In 90% of the co-culture experiments, most neurons present in
the culture dishes stained with TH or PNMT after 5 days in vitro. To test
for the presence of aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC), another CA
enzyme, cultures of CGs and CGs plus notochord were incubated with levodopa
and processed for the detection of CA histofluorescence. Dopamine
histofluorescence was present in all neurons after 3 days in vitro
irrespective of the presence of notochord, suggesting that the expressions
of TH and PNMT and that of AADC are differentially regulated. This study,
therefore, demonstrates that cholinergic neurons of the CG contain CA
enzymes in vivo and in vitro and that the proportion of neurons expressing
CA traits during development in vitro can be increased by environmental
cues such as those released by the notochord.