Nitric oxide synthase is present in the crayfish tail

Abstract

Until the recent discovery of the varied and critical roles played by nitric oxide (NO) in the human body, it was known only in negative context. Its role as a neurotransmitter in vertebrates has since been determined and thoroughly researched, but our study was one of few to investigate the presence of NO in the crayfish superficial extensor muscle. NO is difficult to locate in tissue so we used histochemistry to establish the presence of NO synthase (NOS), which suggests the presence of NO. We found that NOS is present in the superficial extensor muscle of the crayfish tail, which suggests that NO could play a neuromodulatory role in crayfish.