Distribution of ghrelin peptide in the gastrointestinal tract of stomachless and stomach-containing teleosts

The occurrence and localization of ghrelin peptide in the gastrointestinal tract of Carassius auratus and Dicentrarchus labrax, two fish species that exhibit different feeding behav- ior, different habitats, and different anatomical organizations of the gastroenteric tract, were examined by immunohistochemical methods and western blotting analysis. All of the gastrointesti- nal segments studied displayed immunohistochemical localizations of ghrelin peptide. Numerous single or clustered immunoreactive cells were found along the gastric folds, particularly in the py- loric region of Dicentrarcus labrax, whereas scattered ghrelin immunoreactive cells were observed in the intestinal epithelium of both fish species. Double immunolabeling PGP 9.5/ghrelin demon- strated the localization of ghrelin peptide also in nerve fibers and neuronal cells of the submucosal and myenteric plexuses, often in association with vascular structures. Western blotting analysis confirmed the presence of ghrelin peptide in the gatrointestinal tract of both species studied, whose molecular weight was similar to that of the corresponding mammalian prepro-ghrelin. The findings could support the hypothesis that this peptide is an important appetite regulator in fish and could confirm the presence of the ghrelin peptide, starting from its precursor proteins, in the gastrointes- tinal tract of the goldfish and the sea bass.