Calbindin immunoreactivity in sensory and autonomic ganglia in the guinea pig

Abstract

Immunoreactivity (IR) for the calcium binding protein, calbindin, was localized in sensory ganglia (nodose, trigeminal and dorsal root), in parasympathetic ganglia (otic and sphenopalatine) in sympathetic chain ganglia and in sympathetic pre-vertebral ganglia of guinea pig. In sensory ganglia, fine nerve fibres with calbindin-IR surrounded the majority of cell bodies, a low proportion of which were themselves reactive. In cranial parasympathetic and in sympathetic chain ganglia, a small proportion of nerve cells was surrounded with baskets of calbindin-IR nerve fibres, but very few cell bodies were reactive. In prevertebral sympathetic ganglia, dense networks of terminals surrounded many cell bodies, but few somata were themselves reactive. In the coeliac and inferior mesenteric ganglia, the calbindin-IR nerve fibres surrounded somatostatin-IR cell bodies, but not those with neuropeptide Y-IR. It is concluded that specific subgroups of peripheral autonomic and sensory neurones have calbindin-IR.