Worm Breeder's Gazette 9(3): 112
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
Using mammalian antibodies to serotonin we have localized serotonin- like immunoreactivity in nerve fibres and six associated cell bodies in the ventral nerve cord posterior to the retrovescicular ganglion, as well as four cell bodies, two in the ventral and two in the lateral ganglia of the nerve ring in nematodes of all developmental stages. In addition we have found four more cell bodies and associated nerve fibres in the vulva of adult females, whilst in the male adults serotonergic-like immunoreactive nerve fibres were found in the spicular regions. Exogenous application of serotonin to females bloated with eggs, has caused a three-fold increase in the mean rate of egg laying. Two of the cell bodies in the vulva appear to be similar in position to the hermaphrodite specific neurons in Caenorhabditis st that serotonin may be present in Goodeyus ulmi in all developmental stages and have an additional role in egg laying and copulatory behaviour in the adults. r