Removal of the corpuscles of Stannius (STX) in the freshwater European eel causes a marked increase in the concentrations of blood ionic calcium and protein-bound calcium. The hypercalcaemia peaks 20 days after STX and lasts at least another 20 days. In stanniectomized eels hypocalcin decreased both blood ionic and total calcium concentrations. The reduction of plasma total calcium concentratio...

We examined the effects of seawater adaptation and extirpation of the Stannius corpuscles on branchial Ca(2+) flows, gill plasma membrane Ca(2+) transporters and drinking rate of European eels, Anguilla anguilla. Transepithelial Ca(2+) inflow in the gills increased 2 weeks after transfer of the eels from fresh water to sea water and after stanniectomy. Neither of these treatments changed the me...

The corpuscles of Stannius are responsible for the synthesis and secretion of stanniocalcin (STC), a glycoprotein hormone that regulates calcium and phosphate homeostasis in fishes through its actions on the gills and kidneys. The corpuscles of Stannius and STC are considered to be an endocrine system that is unique to fishes. In this report, we provide evidence for the existence of STC-like pr...

Microcystin is a toxin secreted by cyanobacteria, which are the dominant phytoplankton in eutrophic freshwater bodies. The present study reports histopathological, hematological and biochemical changes in the freshwater fish, Heteropneustes fossilis due to toxicity of microcystin. Toxic effects were observed in liver, kidney, corpuscles of Stannius, gills and gonads. Bilirubin concentration inc...

We have isolated and purified a glycoprotein from the corpuscles of Stannius (CS) of trout, which we consider hypocalcin (also called teleocalcin), the major hypocalcemic hormone of fish. This product is present in relatively large amounts in the CS of several species (i.e., European eel, tilapia, goldfish, and carp). Hypocalcin is typically released from the CS in response to an experimentally...