GABA-immunoreactivity in inhibitory motor neurons of the nematode Ascaris

We have used GABA-specific antisera to detect GABA-immunoreactivity in the motor neurons of the ventral nerve cord of Ascaris. We find that a subset of the individually identifiable commissures of motor neurons is specifically stained. On the basis of the location and morphology of stained commissures and of the location of stained cell bodies in the ventral nerve cord, we conclude that the labeled neurons comprise all members of the VI (inhibiting ventral muscle; 13 cells) and DI (inhibiting dorsal muscle; 6 cells) classes of inhibitory motor neurons (Stretton et al., 1978; Walrond et al., 1985). This result supports previous suggestions (e.g., del Castillo et al., 1964b) that GABA is the neurotransmitter released by the inhibitory motor neurons of nematodes. In the anterior part of the animal, the inhibitory motor neuron commissures have small branches in the sublateral nerve cords that have not been previously described: VI commissures have dorsal sublateral branches, while DI cells have ventral branches. Posterior VI neurons have branches in the lateral nerve cords.