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Effects of long-term testosterone, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist, and pimozide treatments on gonadotropin II levels and ovarian development in juvenile female striped bass (Morone saxatilis).

The ability of the juvenile female reproductive axis to respond to hormonal stimulation was investigated in a Perciform fish, the striped bass (Morone saxatilis) using various combinations of testosterone (T), GnRH agonist (GnRHa), and pimozide. A long-term treatment with T alone, or T in combination with GnRHa, increased pituitary gonadotropin II (GtH II) levels 2- and 3-fold, respectively, suggesting that T and GnRHa each stimulate GtH II accumulation. Release of the accumulated GtH II could be induced only by high doses of GnRHa in combination with T, indicating that GtH II synthesis and release require different levels of GnRH stimulation. The addition of the dopamine antagonist pimozide did not affect pituitary and plasma GtH II levels but, in response to an additional acute GnRHa challenge, inhibited the release of GtH II. Although ovarian development was slightly stimulated by a combined T and GnRHa treatment, vitellogenesis was generally not initiated. The present study demonstrated that the juvenile striped bass pituitary is responsive to hormonal stimulation, resulting in elevated levels of GtH II in the pituitary and plasma. However, increased plasma levels of GtH II did not result in precocious puberty, suggesting that additional factors are required for the initiation of ovarian development in this teleost.

Animals↗

Reconstructing labroid evolution with single-copy nuclear DNA.

Fifteen per cent of all living fishes are united in a single suborder (Labroidei) and display a dazzling array of behavioural and ecological traits. The labroids are considered monophyletic and members share a pharyngeal jaw apparatus (PJA) modified for crushing and processing prey. Outside of the explicitly functional PJA, there is no corroborative evidence for a monophyletic Labroidei. Here, we report the first molecular phylogenetic analysis of the suborder. Contrary to morphology-based phylogenies, our single-copy nuclear DNA data do not support labroid families as a natural group. Our data indicate that pharyngognathy has evolved independently among labroid families and that characters of the PJA are not reliable markers of perciform evolution. This work 'crushes' conventional views of fish phylogeny and should engender novel concepts of piscine life history evolution.

Animals↗

Fish otoliths: do sizes correlate with taxonomic group, habitat and/or luminescence?

Otoliths are dense structures in the ears of fishes that function in hearing and gravity perception. Otolith (sagitta) diameters, as percentages of standard length (% SL), are calculated for 247 marine fish species in 147 families and compared by taxonomic group (usually order), habitat and presence or absence of luminescence. Otolith sizes range from 0.4-31.4 mm and 0.08-11.2% SL. The eel and spiny eel orders Anguilliformes and Notacanthiformes have small to very small otoliths, as do the triggerfish order Tetraodontiformes, pipefish order Gasterosteiformes, billfish suborder Scombroidei and many of the dragonfish order Stomiiformes. The soldierfish order Beryciformes has moderate to very large otoliths. The perch order Perciformes has a wide range of otolith sizes but most have small to moderate otoliths 2-5% SL. Only 16 out of the 247 species have the relatively largest otoliths, over 7% SL. Seven out of these 16 species are also luminous from a variety of habitats. Luminous species have slightly to much larger otoliths than non-luminous species in the same family Both beryciforms and luminous fishes live in low-light environments, where acute colour vision is probably impossible. Most fishes of the epipelagic surface waters have very small otoliths, perhaps due to background noise and/or excessive movement of heavy otoliths in rough seas. Bathypelagic species usually have small otoliths and regressed or absent swimbladders. Other habitats have species with a range of otolith sizes. While the relationship between hearing ability and otolith length is unknown, at least some groups with modified swim-bladders have larger otoliths, which may be associated with more acute hearing.

Animals↗

Chromosomal studies on ten species of notothenioid fishes (Notothenioidei: Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae, Nototheniidae).

The results of a cytogenetic study conducted with banding and in situ hybridization techniques using ribosomal and telomeric probes on various species belonging to three families (Bathydraconidae, Channichthyidae and Nototheniidae) of the perciform suborder, Notothenioidei, are reported. The heterochromatin distribution and composition, nucleolar organiser and localisation of telomeric sequences seem to indicate that both in karyologically conservative families such as channichthyids and in families exhibiting greater karyological variability, certain DNA fractions like ribosomal genes and centromeric and telomeric DNAs are prone to some variability. This could play an important role in favouring or hampering chromosome rearrangements.

Animals↗

Sex chromosomes in the spiny eel (Mastacembelus aculeatus) revealed by mitotic and meiotic analysis.

Lower vertebrates like fish exhibit tremendous diversity in sex determination. There are wide interplays between environment-dependent sex differentiation ranging from natural hermaphroditism to sex reversal and genetic sex determination. Diverse systems of male and female heterogamety coexist in fish and sex chromosomes are rarely distinguishable in morphology. Here we show that the spiny eel ((Mastacembelus aculeatus) of the Perciformes, has evolved highly heteromorphic X and Y chromosomes. The metacentric X and Y chromosomes are the largest among 24 homologous pairs, differ from each other in size and morphology, and become distinct after C-banding because of conspicuous heterochromatin blocks which exhibit alternate distribution around the centromeric region. Chromosome painting using probes from the microdissected X chromosome revealed sequence homology between X and Y. During the pachytene stage of meiosis the X and Y form a bivalent. However, their synapsis is delayed which is particularly evident in one terminus. Therefore, the X and Y have resulted from a pericentric inversion in the Y. We conclude that M. aculeatus represents an example of a highly advanced stage of sex chromosome evolution in fish.

Animals↗

Neural pathway for aggressive display in Betta splendens: midbrain and hindbrain control of gill-cover erection behavior.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to identify parts of the presumptive neural pathway for gill cover erection, a behavioral display pattern performed by Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) during aggressive interactions. Motor, motor integration and sensory areas were identified in the medulla and mesencephalon. Motor neurons of the dilator operculi muscle, the effector muscle for gill cover erection, are located in the lateral and medial parts of the caudal trigeminal motor nucleus. Iontophoretic injections of HRP into the lateral trigeminal motor nucleus resulted in labeled cell bodies in two motor areas (medial part of the trigeminal motor nucleus, anterior part of the motor nucleus of cranial nerve IX-X), two parts of the reticular formation (medial and inferior reticular areas), and two nuclei of the octavolateralis system (nucleus medialis, magnocellular octaval nucleus). The HRP injections in the medial part of the caudal trigeminal motor nucleus resulted in labeled cells in the lateral part of the nucleus and in the medial reticular nucleus. Discrete injections of HRP into nucleus medialis revealed a strong axonal projection that terminated in the torus semicircularis. The medial reticular area and both of the octavolateralis nuclei received projections from their contralateral counterparts. Connections between motor areas, and between parts of the reticular formation, may coordinate the performance of gill cover erection with other behavioral patterns used during aggressive display. Connections with the octavolateralis system may provide information on the strength of an opponent's tail beats via the lateral-line system, as well as vestibular information about the fish's own orientation during aggressive display. The organization of inputs to the trigeminal motor nucleus in Betta, a perciform fish, was found to differ from that reported in the common carp, a cypriniform fish. These differences may underlie the different behavioral capabilities of the two groups of fish.

Afferent Pathways↗

Iron concentration in teeth of Tetra-odontiform fishes and its phylogenetic significance.

It is known that iron is deposited in the enameloid of some teleost fishes, although its biological significance has not been clarified. In the present investigation, a quantitative analysis of iron in the enameloid of fishes of a primitive suborder, the Balistoidei, and an advanced suborder, the Tetra-odontoidei, of the Tetra-odontiformes of marine teleosts was performed by means of the electron microprobe. The results indicated that the enameloid of Balistoidei contained from 0.4-13.5% iron at its surface layer, whereas that of Tetra-odontoidei was very low in iron, which could not be discriminated from the background value of the emission intensity. The enameloid of three perciform species belonging to the Acanthuridae--from which the Tetra-odontiformes are considered to have been derived--also contained high iron (2.7-3.9%) throughout its entire layer. The iron concentration in the enameloid seemed to be related to the phylogeny of fishes rather than to their environmental water and feeding habits, and it is believed that the mechanisms of iron concentration into the developing enameloid have been lost during evolution from the Achanthuridae to the Tetra-odontoidei. Since a similar phenomenon has been previously observed with respect to the fluoride concentration in the enameloid of the same fishes (Suga et al., 1981a), it is speculated that the concentrations of iron and fluoride, which have originally no chemical correlation, have some special biological significance, although the timing and distribution pattern of their deposition are completely different.

Animals↗

Biologically meaningful expression profiling across species using heterologous hybridization to a cDNA microarray.

BACKGROUND: Unravelling the path from genotype to phenotype, as it is influenced by an organism's environment, is one of the central goals in biology. Gene expression profiling by means of microarrays has become very prominent in this endeavour, although resources exist only for relatively few model systems. As genomics has matured into a comparative research program, expression profiling now also provides a powerful tool for non-traditional model systems to elucidate the molecular basis of complex traits. RESULTS: Here we present a microarray constructed with approximately 4500 features, derived from a brain-specific cDNA library for the African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni (Perciformes). Heterologous hybridization, targeting RNA to an array constructed for a different species, is used for eight different fish species. We quantified the concordance in gene expression profiles across these species (number of genes and fold-changes). Although most robust when target RNA is derived from closely related species (<10 MA divergence time), our results showed consistent profiles for other closely related taxa (approximately 65 MA divergence time) and, to a lesser extent, even very distantly related species (>200 MA divergence time). CONCLUSION: This strategy overcomes some of the restrictions imposed on model systems that are of importance for evolutionary and ecological studies, but for which only limited sequence information is available. Our work validates the use of expression profiling for functional genomics within a comparative framework and provides a foundation for the molecular and cellular analysis of complex traits in a wide range of organisms.

Animals↗

Kinematic and electromyographic analysis of steady pectoral fin swimming in the surfperches

The musculoskeletal mechanism of pectoral fin propulsion was investigated in representatives of the two subfamilies of the Embiotocidae (surfperches). Kinematic and electromyographic records of steady swimming by the open-water cruiser Amphistichus rhodoterus and the benthic maneuverer Embiotoca lateralis were compared at 80 % of the species' respective pectoral&shy;caudal gait transition speeds. Synchronized records of fin movement and the intensity of pectoral muscle activity allowed previous hypotheses of muscle function, based on anatomical lines of action, to be tested. Divisions of the pectoral musculature inserting on the central and trailing- edge fin rays serve simple functions of abduction and adduction. Muscles controlling the fin's leading edge, by contrast, play more complex roles during the fin stroke, including deceleration of the fin at the downstroke&shy;upstroke transition and rotation of the adducted fin during the non-propulsive period between fin beats. In spite of their phylogenetic and ecological divergence, the surfperches exhibit a number of mechanistic similarities which probably characterize the family. The timings of kinematic events and the maximal excursions of the fin tip, as well as the temporal order of muscle activation and the time to peak activity, are largely conserved. The predominant dorsoventral component of fin movement during the stride is consistent with a lift-based mechanism of propulsion. E. lateralis exhibits a greater anteroposterior range of motion and a more continuous period of fine motor control of the fin than A. rhodoterus, differences which may correspond to the species' respective capacities for maneuvering. Mechanistic variation in the family is associated with rather minor structural differences (in fin shape and fin base orientation). Owing to the similar functional demands placed on the pectoral fins of many fishes, it is probable that the mechanistic details of embiotociform swimming are widely distributed within the Perciformes.

Journal Article↗

Motor patterns of labriform locomotion: kinematic and electromyographic analysis of pectoral fin swimming in the labrid fish Gomphosus varius

Labriform locomotion is a widespread swimming mechanism in fishes during which propulsive forces are generated by oscillating the pectoral fins. We examined the activity of the six major muscles that power the pectoral fin of the bird wrasse Gomphosus varius (Labridae: Perciformes). The muscles studied included the fin abductors (arrector ventralis, abductor superficialis and abductor profundus) and the fin adductors (arrector dorsalis, adductor superficialis and adductor profundus). Our goals were to determine the pattern of muscle activity that drives the fins in abduction and adduction cycles during pectoral fin locomotion, to examine changes in the timing and amplitude of electromyographic (EMG) patterns with increases in swimming speed and to correlate EMG patterns with the kinematics of pectoral fin propulsion. EMG data were recorded from three individuals over a range of swimming speeds from 15 to 70 cm s-1 (1&shy;4.8 TL s-1, where TL is total body length). The basic motor pattern of pectoral propulsion is alternating activity of the antagonist abductor and adductor groups. The downstroke is characterized by activity of the arrector ventralis muscle before the other abductors, whereas the upstroke involves nearly synchronous activity of the three adductors. Most EMG variables (duration, onset time, amplitude and integrated area) showed significant correlations with swimming speeds. However, the timing and duration of muscle activity are relatively constant across speeds when expressed as a fraction of the stride period, which decreases with increased velocity. Synchronous recordings of kinematic data (maximal abduction and adduction) with EMG data revealed that activity in the abductors began after maximal adduction and that activity in the adductors began nearly synchronously with maximal abduction. Thus, the pectoral fin mechanism of G. varius is activated by positive work from both abductor and adductor muscle groups over most of the range of swimming speeds. The adductors produce some negative work only at the highest swimming velocities. We combine information from pectoral fin morphology, swimming kinematics and motor patterns to interpret the musculoskeletal mechanism of pectoral propulsion in labrid fishes.

Journal Article↗

Olfactory sensitivity to changes in environmental [Ca(2+)] in the freshwater teleost Carassius auratus: an olfactory role for the Ca(2+)-sensing receptor?

Olfactory sensitivity to changes in environmental Ca(2+) has been demonstrated in two teleost species; a salmonid (Oncorhynchus nerka) and a marine/estuarine perciform (Sparus aurata). To assess whether this phenomenon is restricted to species that normally experience large fluctuations in external ion concentrations (e.g. moving from sea water to fresh water) or is present in a much wider range of species, we investigated olfactory Ca(2+) sensitivity in the goldfish (Carassius auratus), which is a stenohaline, non-migratory freshwater cyprinid. Extracellular recording from the olfactory bulb in vivo by electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrated that the olfactory system is acutely sensitive to changes in external Ca(2+) within the range that this species is likely to encounter in the wild (0.05-3 mmol l(-1)). The olfactory system responded to increases in external calcium with increasing bulbar activity in a manner that fitted a conventional Hill plot with an apparent EC(50) of 0.9+/-0.3 mmol l(-1) (close to both ambient and plasma free [Ca(2+)]) and an apparent Hill coefficient of 1.1+/-0.3 (means +/- S.E.M., N=6). Thresholds of detection were below 50 micro mol l(-1). Some olfactory sensitivity to changes in external [Na(+)] was also recorded, but with a much higher threshold of detection (3.7 mmol l(-1)). The olfactory system of goldfish was much less sensitive to changes in [Mg(2+)] and [K(+)]. Preliminary data suggest that Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) are detected by the same mechanism, although with a much higher affinity for Ca(2+). Olfactory sensitivity to Na(+) may warn freshwater fish that they are reaching the limit of their osmotic tolerance when in an estuarine environment. Olfaction of serine, a potent odorant in fish, was not dependent on the presence of external Ca(2+) or Na(+). Finally, the teleost Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (Ca-SR) was shown to be highly expressed in a subpopulation of olfactory receptor neurones by both immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation. The olfactory sensitivity to Ca(2+) (and Mg(2+)) is therefore likely to be mediated by the Ca-SR. We suggest that olfactory Ca(2+) sensitivity is a widespread phenomenon in teleosts and may have an input into the physiological mechanisms regulating internal calcium homeostasis.

Animals↗

Haploporus mugilis sp. n. (Digenea: Haploporidae) from Valamugil engeli (Pisces: Mugilidae) in the Taiwan Straits, China.

Haploporus mugilis sp. n. (Digenea: Haploporidae) was obtained from the intestine of kandas, Valamugil engeli (Bleeker) (Mugilidae, Perciformes) in the Taiwan Straits, China. It most closely resembles Haploporus spinosus Machida, 1996 from the intestine of Crenimugil crenilabis in Japanese and adjacent waters in the intestinal bifurcation posterior to the acetabulum, in egg-size (0.039-0.044 x 0.019-0.022 in H. mugilis and 0.034-0.042 x 0.018-0.023 in H. spinosus) and in the hermaphroditic sac armed with spines. However, it differs from the latter in its hermaphroditic sac with two long and numerous small spines rather than with four long and six small spines and in the excretory vesicle with a single prominent refractory concretion instead of being empty.

Animals↗

The histopathology of the infection of Tilapia rendalli and Hypostomus regani (Osteichthyes) by lasidium larvae of Anodontites trapesialis (Mollusca, Bivalvia).

It is described the histopathology of the infection of Tilapia rendalli (Osteichthyes, Perciformes, Cichlidae) and Hypostomus regani (Osteichthyes, Siluriformes, Loricariidae) by lasidium larvae of Anodontites trapesialis (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Mycetopodidae). The larvae were encysted within the epidermis of the host, being surrounded by a thin hyaline membrane, 3-6 microm thick, of parasite origin. A proliferative host cell reaction did not occur. The histopathology of the infection shows that the lesions induced by the parasites are minimal. However, the numerous small lesions produced by the release of the larvae may provide optimal conditions for the infection by opportunistic pathogens, namely fungus, which may eventually cause the death of the host.

Animals↗

Parasitism of Cichlasoma paranaense Kullander, 1983 and Gymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1814 by Clinostomum complanatum (Rudolphi, 1814) metacercariae in the Taquari river.

The infection, known as yellow spot disease, produced by metacercariae of Clinostomum spp. was studied in fishes of the Taquari river, located in Jataizinho, Paraná State, Brazil. A total of 1,582 specimens, belonging to 36 species, were collected between March 1999 and April 2001. Yellow spot disease was observed only in Gymnotus carapo Linnaeus, 1814 (Gymnotiformes, Gymnotidae) and Cichlasoma paranaense Kullander, 1983 (Perciformes, Cichlidae). This parasitism was generated by metacercariae of Clinostomum complanatum (Rudolphi, 1814) (Digenea, Clinostomidae). Among the 88 specimens of G. carapo examined, 7 (prevalence = 8%) had cysts of the parasite. Four of them were captured in July 1999 and three in October 1999. In the other months, no specimen found was infected. Using relative condition factor (Kn) analysis, it was determined that both infected and non-infected specimens had a total weight equal to the theoretically expected value for each total length (Kn = 1.0). Among 56 individuals of Cichlasoma paranaense, 6 (prevalence = 10.7%) had between 1 and 27 metacercariae of C. complanatum (mean intensity of infection = 9.3 +/- 9.6). In March 1999 and April of both 2000 and 2001, the specimens examined were not infected. The infected fish had a total weight higher than the expected value (Kn > 1.0), while the non-infected fish had a weight equal to the expected value (Kn = 1.0).

Animals↗

Multiple GnRHs present in a teleost species are encoded by separate genes: analysis of the sbGnRH and cGnRH-II genes from the striped bass, Morone saxatilis.

GnRH is a neuropeptide which plays an essential role in the control of reproductive fitness for all vertebrates. Increasing evidence suggests that multiple forms of GnRH may exist in most vertebrate brains. Southern blot analysis of the three GnRHs known to be present in perciform fish, the seabream (sb)GnRH, the salmon(s) GnRH and the chicken (c) GnRH-II, demonstrates that each is present as a single gene copy in the genome of the striped bass, Morone saxatilis. In order to investigate the physiological consequences of multiple GnRHs in a single vertebrate species, we have isolated and characterized two of the GnRH genes, those for sbGnRH and cGnRH-II. Computer analysis of 3.5 kb of sequence upstream of the sbGnRH gene reveals a number of consensus DNA binding sites which implicate steroids, such as estrogen and glucocorticoids, and the steroidogenic transcription factor, SF-1, as being involved in the regulation of sbGnRH gene expression. Sequence analysis of the cGnRH-II gene reveals evidence of multiple promoters. Expression studies using (1) solution hybridization-RNAse protection mapping with several RNA probes directed at various regions of the proGnRH gene, (2) primer extension assays using two specific oligonucleotide primers, and (3) reverse transcription PCR with several oligonucleotide primers on cGnRH-II transcripts demonstrate that the cGnRH-II gene initiates transcription at numerous sites using a TATA-less promoter within the brains of sexually mature striped bass. This study is the first to characterize and compare the promoter structures of two GnRH genes present in a single vertebrate species.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular forms of GnRH in three model fishes: rockfish, medaka and zebrafish.

Three species of fish have become important in the study of reproduction and development. Rockfish are a model for developmental studies of live-bearing perch-like fish, whereas medaka and zebrafish are models for developmental and genetic studies. The forms of GnRH are identified in the brains of each of these fish and in the pituitary of the rockfish to investigate the role of GnRH in reproduction. Here, we report that grass rockfish (Sebastes rastrelliger) have three forms of GnRH in brain extracts as determined by HPLC elution position and RIA. These forms are identified as sea bream GnRH, chicken GnRH-II and salmon GnRH. In contrast, only two forms of GnRH were detected in brain extracts of medaka (Oryzias latipes) and zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio): salmon GnRH and chicken GnRH-II. Rockfish is distinct from medaka and zebrafish in that the most abundant form of GnRH in the rockfish pituitary is sea bream GnRH, whereas this form is absent in the other two fishes. The identification of sea bream GnRH in the rockfish brain and pituitary extracts indicates that the phylogenetic emergence of sea bream GnRH is earlier than the order Perciformes.

Animals↗

Ontogenic development of three GnRH systems in the brain of a pleuronectiform fish, barfin flounder.

A pleuronectiform fish, the barfin flounder Verasper moseri, has three molecular forms of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the brain, salmon GnRH (sGnRH), chicken GnRH-II (cGnRH-II) and seabream GnRH (sbGnRH). To elucidate the ontogenic origin of the neurons that produce these GnRH molecules, the development of three GnRH systems was examined by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. Neuronal somata that express sGnRH mRNA were detected first in the vicinity of the olfactory epithelium 21 days after hatching (Day 21), and then in the transitional area between the olfactory nerve and olfactory bulb and the terminal nerve ganglion on Day 28. cGnRH-II mRNA-expressing neuronal somata were first identified in the midbrain tegmentum near the ventricle on Day 7. cGnRH-II-immunoreactive (ir) fibers were first found in the brain on Day 7. sbGnRH mRNA-expressing neuronal somata were first detected in the preoptic area on Day 42. sbGnRH-ir fibers were localized in the preoptic area-hypothalamus, and formed a distinctive bundle of axons projecting to the pituitary on Day 70. These results indicate that three forms of GnRH neurons have separate embryonic origins in the barfin flounder as in other perciform fish such as tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and red seabream Pagrus major: sGnRH, cGnRH-II and sbGnRH neurons derive from the olfactory placode, the midbrain tegmentum near the ventricle and the preoptic area, respectively.

Animals↗

Calicobenedenia Polyprioni n. gen., n. sp. (Monogenoidea: Capsalidae) from the external surfaces of wreckfish, Polyprion americanus (Teleostei: Polyprionidae), in the north Atlantic.

Calicobenedenia polyprioni n. sp. (Capsalidae) is described from the external surfaces (skin and eye) of wreckfish, Polyprion americanus (Teleostei, Perciformes, Polyprionidae), from the north Atlantic Ocean. The monotypic Calicobenedenia n. gen. is proposed for this species and is characterized, in part, by its members possessing an aseptate haptor armed with 14 submarginal hooks and 1 pair of anchors, a common genital pore opening marginally immediately posterior to the left cephalic lobe, 2 testes juxtaposed near the body midlength, and by lacking cephalic suckers or adhesive discs, accessory haptoral sclerites, and a uterine valve. The new genus most closely resembles Entobdella, which differs from Calicobenedenia by having an aseptate haptor armed with 14 submarginal hooks, 2 pairs of anchors, and a pair of accessary sclerites.

Animals↗