Junctional devices in Sertoli cells conform the blood-testis barrier and play a key role in maturation and differentiation of germ cells. The spacial distribution of ectoplasmic specializations of Sertoli cells was studied by beta-actin immunolabelling, using laser confocal and transmission electron microscopy. For confocal microscopy, beta-actin immunolabelling of ectoplasmic specializations w...

There has been a marked reduction in natural stocks of eels (genus Anguilla) over the past 60 years, and the culture of eels is still based on the capture of very large quantities of juveniles. It is necessary to close the life cycle in captivity in order to ease the pressure on wild populations. The aims of the present study were to evaluate sperm subpopulations (through cluster analysis of co...

BACKGROUND The non-lethal collection of sperm from live males is an important component for multiple captive-breeding techniques, including assisted reproductive technology (ART) protocols, sperm cryopreservation and in vitro fertilization. However, in amphibians, the type and amount of hormone necessary to induce spermiation can be highly variable, even among closely related species. We are un...

Domesticated male striped bass were selected as high cortisol stress responders (HCR) or low cortisol stress responders (LCR) by ranking mean 1-h post-stress plasma cortisol levels following a 2-min standardized net challenge once per month for four consecutive months. During the selection period, HCR and LCR fish maintained a significant divergence in post-stress cortisol levels, but these dif...