The Presence of Histamine and a Histamine Receptor in the Bivalve Mollusc, Crassostrea virginica.

Histamine, a biogenic amine, is a neurotransmitter in neurons and sensory receptors in invertebrates. Histamine has rarely been reported in bivalves. We used HPLC with pre-column derivatization using 2,3-naphthalenedicarboxaldehyde (NDA) as a fluorescent labeling agent to measure histamine in ganglia, and peripheral tissues of the oyster Crassostrea virginica. We also used Western Blot technique to look for the presence of a histamine receptor in the mantle rim. HPLC results found histamine present in ng amounts in both the cerebral and visceral ganglia, as well as the mantle rim and other peripheral tissues of C. virginica. The study confirms and quantifies histamine as an endogenous biogenic amine in C. virginica in the nervous system and innervated organs. Western Blot technique also identified a histamine H2-like receptor present in sensory tissue of the oyster's mantle rim.