Immunocytochemical localization of multiple cholecystokinin-like peptides in the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis.

Three anti-cholecystokinin antibodies were used to label the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab Cancer borealis. Labeled tissues were examined as whole mounts using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Although each of the anti-cholecystokinin antibodies labeled a variety of structures within the stomatogastric nervous system (including somata, fibers and neuropil), the pattern of labeling produced by each antibody was distinct. These results indicate that there is a family of cholecystokinin-like molecules that are differentially distributed among a subpopulation of the neurons in the stomatogastric nervous system of Cancer borealis.