Cellular synthesis and axonal transport of gamma-aminobutyric acid in a photoreceptor cell of the barnacle.

1. [3H]glutamate or [3H]gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) was injected into the photoreceptor cell of the lateral ocellus of Balanus eburneus, in order to study the transmitter substance of the cell. 2. The photoreceptor cell synthesized [3H]GABA from injected [3H]glutamate. 3. The newly formed [3H]GABA moved inside the photoreceptor axon towards the axon terminal with a velocity of about 0.9 mm/hr. Injected [3H]GABA moved at 0.9 mm/hr and also at 0.4 mm/hr. 4. Axonally transported [3H]GABA reached the axon terminal within several hours following the injection. It did not accumulate at the terminal, but gradually disappeared. 5. Light-microscope and electron-microscope autoradiography following the injection of [3H]GABA revealed that [3H]-reacted silver grains were present in a certain type of axon terminal. The terminal thus identified as that of a photoreceptor cell contains many clear, polymorphic synaptic vesicles about 300-500 A in diameter, some dense-cored vesicles 700-1300 A in diameter, and glycogen granules. The terminal forms many synapses, and each synapse has a synaptic dense body. The terminal always faces two post-synaptic elements at the synapse, forming a triad with a gap distance of about 160-200 A. 6. A GABA analogue, [3H]di-aminobutyric acid, was selectively taken up into the terminals previously identified as those of photoreceptors. 7. These results support the notion that the transmitter substance of the photoreceptor cell of the barnacle is GABA.