Cellular distributions and functions of histamine, octopamine, and serotonin in the peripheral visual system, brain, and circumesophageal ring of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus.

The data reviewed here show that histamine, octopamine, and serotonin are abundant in the visual system of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus. Anatomical and biochemical evidence, including new biochemical data presented here, indicates that histamine is a neurotransmitter in primary retinal afferents, and that it may be involved in visual information processing within the lateral eye. The presence of histamine in neurons of the central nervous system outside of the visual centers suggests that this amine also has functions unrelated to vision. However, the physiological actions of histamine in the Limulus nervous system are not yet known. Octopamine is present in and released from the axons of neurons that transmit circadian information from the brain to the eyes, and octopamine mimics the actions of circadian input on many retinal functions. In addition, octopamine probably has major functions in other parts of the nervous system as octopamine immunoreactive processes are widely distributed in the central nervous system and in peripheral motor nerves. Indeed, octopamine modulates functions of the heart and exoskeletal muscles as well as the eyes. A surprising finding is that although octopamine is a circulating neurohormone in Limulus, there is no structural evidence for its release into the hemolymph from central sites. The distribution of serotonin in Limulus brain suggests this amine modulates the central processing of visual information. Serotonin modulates cholinergic synapses in the central nervous system, but nothing further is known about its physiological actions.