Granule containing cells and fibres in the sinus venosus of elasmobranchs

The concentrations of catecholamines in the heart chambers of elasmobranchs were measured by the fluorimetric method of Bertler et al. (1958). Noradrenaline (NA) can be detected in all the chambers, but the sinus venosus is by far the richest in NA. This can either be due to the presence of storage sites for this amine in the sinus wall, or to a transport of amine to the sinus venosus from the anterior chromaffin bodies. The sinus wall contains large numbers of "granule containing cells" and axon-like processes, both with numerous dense-core vesicles of about 1800 A diameter. The dense-core vesicles contain a uranophilic matrix indicating the presence of protein, phospholipids and/or nucleic acid. The reactions failed to demonstrate amine, which may be due to a loss of amine by diffusion, to a relatively low intravesicular amine concentration, or, to the absence of amines in these granule-containing cells and processes. Heavy accumulations of granule-containing processes occur in the subendothelial area. The endothelium contains fenestrae and pores through which granule-containing fibres protrude into the venous cavity. Granule-containing cells are innervated by presumed cholinergic nerve endings. It is suggested that the granule-containing cells and fibres belong to the neurosecretory system with a cholinergic input, releasing the contents of the dense-core vesicles into the blood stream at the level of the venous cavity.