[Biosynthesis and metabolism of histamine in the central nervous system of Carcinus maenas]

Abstract

The central nervous system of Carcinus maenas synthesizes radioactive histamine when incubated in the presence of [14C] histidine and pyridoxal-5' phosphate. This biosynthesis increases linearly as a function of the amount of enzyme and the incubation time. It is not effected by heart, muscle or hepatopancreas extracts nor by haemolymph. Thus histamine appears to be synthesized mainly in the nervous system. The latter is also the seat of carcinine (beta-alanylhistamine) biosynthesis. Since carcinine seems to be a product of histamine neutralization, histamine metabolism should take place in its entirety in the nervous system. Thus histamine appears to be implicated in the neuronal activity of Carcinus. Different areas of the crustacean central nervous system: brain, eyestalks and thoracic ganglionic mass biosynthesize and metabolize histamine. Thus they all could contain sites of action for histamine. The nervous systems of two other Decapodes, Cancer and Astacus also effect histamine biosynthesis but don't metabolize it into carcinine.