Localization of Acetylcholine, Alpha 7-NAChR and the Antimicrobial Peptide Piscidin 1 in the Macrophages of Fish Gut: Evidence for a Cholinergic System, Diverse Macrophage Populations and Polarization of Immune Responses

The recognition and elimination of invading pathogens are vital for host survival. Macrophages play a central role in protection cells functionally reminiscent vertebrate macrophages present all multicellular organisms. A pattern responsible bacterial found on the surface is CD14. These possess repertoire antimicrobial molecules stored their granules lysosomes. Polarization states observed mammalian termed M1 M2 also likely exist fish macrophages. Markers macrophage subtypes slowly but definitively emerging species. In study cell markers such as CD14, acetylcholine, alpha 7 acetylcholine nicotinic receptor (nAChR) subtype, inducible nitric oxidase synthase (iNOS), peptide piscidin 1 reported first time intestinal both catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794) African bonytongue Heterotis niloticus (Cuvier, 1829) along anterior posterior axis concentric muscle layers. Many effector responses including respiratory burst NO induction similar across diverse animal taxa. Antibodies against calbindin coupled with ones to VAChT tubulin revealed localization myenteric submucosal plexuses, which made up enteric neurons, glial cells, nerves near Current studies allow elucidation multiple roles disease models providing an insight into vivo function fish.