COMPARATIVE DISTRIBUTION OF NEUROTENSIN-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN OF A TELEOST (CARASSIUS-AURATUS), AN AMPHIBIAN (HYLA-MERIDIONALIS), AND A REPTILE (GALLOTIA-GALLOTI)

The distribution of neurotensin (NT) was studied in the brain of three species belonging to the three major classes of cold-blooded vertebrates: teleost fishes (Carassius auratus), anuran amphibians (Hyla meridionalis), and reptiles (Gallotia galloti; Lacertidae). By using antibodies directed against synthetic bovine NT in the three species, immunoreactive cell bodies were discovered mostly in the telencephalon and diencephalon, in particular at the level of the preoptic region the mediobasal hypothalamus, and the thalamus. In the frog and the lizard, additional immunoreactive (ir) structures were observed in the optic tectum and the tegmentum of the mesencephalon. In the goldfish pituitary, an extensive innervation was consistently observed at the level of the rostral pars distalis, whereas in both frog and lizard, positive fibers were only detected in the external layer of the median eminence. In the three species there is a striking overlap between the distribution of the NT-ir cell bodies and that of the target cells for sexual steroids. The results are discussed in relation with those reported in birds and mammals, and with the possible interactions among NT, sexual steroids, and the neuroendocrine control of pituitary hormone release, in particular prolactin and gonadotrophin. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.