Localization of choline acetyltransferase and tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivities in the superior colliculus of the microbat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the superior colliculus (SC) of the microbat has the same neurochemical makeup as that of other mammals. We examined the organization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)- and tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-IR) fibers/cells using standard immunohistochemistry with antibodies against ChAT and TH. ChAT-IR fibers observed in the superficial layers were denser than those in the deeper layers, and these fibers were classified into two types: small varicose fibers and large varicose fibers. ChAT-IR cells were predominantly located in the superficial layers with diverse morphologies. Among the well-known sources of cholinergic fibers in the mammalian SC, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTN) and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTN) contained strongly labeled ChAT-IR cells, while no cholinergic structures were found in the parabigeminal nucleus (PBG) in the microbat brain. TH-immunoreactivity was found within fibers but not within cells. The density of TH-IR fibers was high in the zonal layer, moderate in the superficial gray and optic layers, and low in the deeper layers. Well-labeled TH-IR cells were also observed within area 13 and the locus coeruleus, known as the sources of catecholaminergic fibers in other mammalian SC. Although there are some cytoarchitectural variations among species, our results clearly showed elaborately organized ChAT-IR and TH-IR fibers/cells in the microbat SC. Our findings will contribute significantly to the understanding of actively constructed microbat visual systems.