Sexual dimorphism of galanin-like immunoreactivity in the brain and pituitary of goldfish, Carassius auratus

Abstract

A sexually dimorphic distribution of galanin (GAL)-like immunoreactive (ir) neurons and fibers was found in the brain and pituitary of goldfish. The rostralmost GAL-ir perikarya were found in the area ventralis telencephali pars supracommissuralis dorsal to the anterior commissure. In the diencephalon, there was several GAL-ir perikarya in the nucleus preopticus periventricularis (NPP). Males had many GAL-ir perikarya in the nucleus preopticus pars parvocellularis (NPOpp) and isolated GAL-ir perikarya in the NPO pars magnocellularis, and lateral to the NPO; in females GAL-ir perikarya were not found in these sites. A large GAL-ir neuronal aggregation was observed in the nucleus lateralis tuberis pars posterioris (NLTp). Several ir perikarya were present in the nucleus posterioris tuberis; however, unlike in other regions the males revealed fewer neurons than females. Besides the established innervation of the pituitary gland by the NPP, NPO and NLT, the present study revealed GAL-ir perikarya of these nuclei apparently also innervating the telencephalon, thalamus, optic tectum, tegmentum and even some areas of the rhombencephalon. Isolated perikarya were found in the nucleus posterioris periventricularis, the dorsal vicinities of the nucleus recessus lateralis (NRL), nucleus recessus posterioris, and nucleus saccus vasculosus, and in the medulla oblongata ventral to the vagal lobes. In the pituitary gland, GAL-ir fibers ramify and terminate among the pars distalis cells. A small percentage of growth hormone-secreting cells colocalize GAL. In males, most GAL-ir cells of the proximal pars distalis (PPD) showed granular ir product in the entire cell, and some had one or two large granules; in females the ir PPD cells showed clusters of a few fine ir granules of uniform size in each. Sexual dimorphism was also found in the olfactory bulb, telencephalon, infundibulum, mesencephalic tegmentum, optic tectum and medulla oblongata, the males having a more extensive GAL-ir fiber system than the females. Galanin may play a role in both hypophysiotropic and motor functions.