Transepithelial transport is one of the major processes involved in the mechanism of homeostasis of body fluids in vertebrates including fish. The current models of ion regulation in fish gill ionocytes have been proposed mainly based on studies in traditional model species like salmon, trout, tilapia, eel and killifish, but the mechanisms are still being debated due to the lack of convincing m...

OBJECTIVE On a global scale, stratospheric ozone depletion has caused an increase in UV-B radiation reaching the earth's surface. Ultraviolet radiation has long been suspected to be harmful to aquatic organisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS In order to study ionocyte localization (by Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase immunolocalization) and the effects of UV radiation on the ionocytes of skin and gills, the alevins...

Zebrafish epidermal ionocytes are analogous to mammalian kidney cells in terms of expression and function of ion transporters. In this review, we summarize current findings about the development of the zebrafish epidermis and demonstrate how the zebrafish regulate stress acclimation through induction of cell differentiation. In addition, cellular homologies between zebrafish epidermal ionocytes...

Fish encounter harsh ionic/osmotic gradients on their aquatic environments, and the mechanisms through which they maintain internal homeostasis are more challenging compared with those of terrestrial vertebrates. Gills are one of the major organs conducting the internal ionic and acid-base regulation, with specialized ionocytes as the major cells carrying out active transport of ions. Exploring...

Specialised epithelia such as mucociliary, secretory and transporting epithelia line all major organs, including the lung, gut and kidney. Malfunction of these epithelia is associated with many human diseases. The frog embryonic epidermis possesses mucus-secreting and multiciliated cells, and has served as an excellent model system for the biogenesis of cilia. However, ionic regulation is impor...

To understand the acclimation strategies of red tilapia to different environments, this study aimed to evaluate different responses of red tilapia (O. mossambicus × O. niloticus) to salinity (10-30‰), alkalinity (1-3 gL-1 NaHCO3) and salinity and alkalinity (10/1-30/3 ‰/gL-1NaHCO3) environments. Localization, type, size, and numeration of gill ionocytes were investigated on the sa...

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) acclimated to 7 degrees C and exposed to hypoxia ( approximately 10 mmHg) for 7 days exhibited a pronounced remodeling of the gill consisting of the removal of an interlamellar cell mass (ILCM). Subsequent experiments were designed to assess the impact of gill remodeling and the associated increase in functional lamellar surface area on the distribution of branchial...

The freshwater climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, is an euryhaline teleost and an obligate air-breather with the ability to actively excrete ammonia. Members of the Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) family help maintain intracellular pH homeostasis and ionic balance through the electroneutral exchange of Na+ and H+. This study aimed to obtain, from the gills of A. testudineus, the full cDNA coding sequen...

Glucose, a carbohydrate metabolite, plays a major role in the energy supply for fish iono- and osmoregulation, and the way that glucose is transported in ionocytes is a critical process related to the functional operations of ionocytes. Eighteen members of glucose transporters (GLUTs, SLC2A) were cloned and identified from zebrafish. Previously, Na(+),K(+)-ATPase-rich (NaR), Na(+)-Cl(-) cotrans...