The aim of this work was to characterize
several ionic channels in nervous cells of the
suboesophageal visceral, left and right parietal, and left
and right pleural brain ganglia complex of the snail
Helix aspersa by immunocytochemistry. We have
studied the immunostaining reaction for a wide panel of
eleven polyclonal antibodies raised against mammal
antigens as follows: voltage-gated-Na+ channel; voltagegated-
delayed-rectifier-K+ channel; SK2-smallconductance-
Ca2+-dependent-K+ channel apamin
sensitive; SK3 potassium channel; charybdotoxinsensitive
voltage-dependent potassium channel; BKCamaxi-
conductance-Ca2+-dependent-K+ channel;
hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated
potassium channel 4; G-protein-activated inwardly
rectifying potassium channel GIRK2 and voltage-gatedcalcium
of L, N and P/Q type channels. Our results show
positive reaction in neurons, but neither in glia cells nor
in processes in the Helix suboesophageal ganglia. Our
results suggest the occurrence of molecules in Helix
neurons sharing antigenic determinants with mammal
ionic channels. The reaction density and distribution of
immunoreactive staining within neurons is specific for
each one of the antisera tested. The studies of colocalization
of immunoreaction, on alternate serial
sections of the anterior right parietal ganglion, have
shown for several recognized mapped neurons that they
can simultaneously be expressed among two and seven
different ionic protein channels. These results are considered a key structural support for the interpretation
of Helix aspersa neuron electrophysiological activity