Neuroendocrine control of tissue AChE and ACh levels in the freshwater crab, Barytelephusa guerini (Milne Edwards)

Abstract

AChE activity and ACh content in tissues of brain, thoracic ganglionic mass and chelate leg muscle of control, eye stalk ablated and eye stalk extract injected crabs are determined. AChE activity was showed an increase on eye stalk ablation, on the contrary ACh content showed a corresponding decrease in all the tissues. The trend is reverse in eye stalk extract injected crabs. This indicates that eye stalk hormones contain a neurodepressant hormone (NDH) which controls the AChE activity. Eye stalk removal causes an elevation in the AChE activity due to absence of this hormone and decrement in enzyme activity on injection of eye stalk extract to ablated animals.