Primary structure of a dimeric haemoglobin from the deep-sea cold-seep clam Calyptogena soyoae.

The heterodont clam Calyptogena soyoae, living in the cold-seep area of the upper bathyal depth of Sagami Bay, Japan, has two homodimeric haemoglobins (Hb I and Hb II) in erythrocytes. The complete amino acid sequence of 136 residues of C. soyoae Hb II was determined. The sequence showed low homology with any other globins (at most 20% identity) and lacked the N-terminal extension of seven to nine amino acid residues characteristic of all the molluscan haemoglobins sequenced hitherto. Although the subunit assembly of molluscan haemoglobin is known to be 'back-to-front' relative to vertebrate haemoglobin, C. soyoae Hb II is unlikely to undergo such a subunit assembly because it lacks homology in the sequence involving subunit interaction. These structural features suggest that C. soyoae haemoglobin may have accomplished a unique molecular evolution. The distal (E7) histidine residue of C. soyoae Hb II is unusually replaced by glutamine. However, the oxyhaemoglobin is stable enough to act as an O2 carrier, since the autoxidation rate at near physiological temperature (3 degrees C) is about 3 times lower than that of human haemoglobin at 37 degrees C. H.p.l.c. patterns of peptides (Figs. 5-7), amino acid compositions of intact protein and peptides (Table 1) and amino acid sequences of intact protein and peptides (Tables 2 and 3) have been deposited as Supplementary Publication SUP 50150 (11 pages) at the British Library Document Supply Centre, Boston Spa, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ, U.K., from whom copies may be obtained on the terms indicated in Biochem. J. (1989) 257, 5.     

The hemoglobin gene of the deep-sea clam Calyptogena soyoae has a novel intron in A-helix

The cDNAs encoding two dimeric hemoglobins, Hbs I and II, of the deep-sea clam Calyptogena soyoae were amplified by PCR and the complete nucleotide sequences determined. The cDNA-derived amino acid sequences agreed completely with those determined chemically. Many of the molluscan intracellular globin genes have a characteristic four-exon/three-intron structure, with the precoding and two conventional introns conserved widely in animal globin genes. In this work we have determined the exon/intron organization of two hemoglobin genes of the deep-sea clam C. soyoae. Surprisingly, this gene has no precoding intron but instead contains an additional intron in the A-helix (A3.1), together with the two conventional introns (B12.2 and G6.3). This observation suggests that the precoding intron has been lost and the insertion of intron in A-helix occurred in the genes of Calyptogena. Alternatively, the sliding of intron from precoding to A-helix might have occurred.     

Gill surface area of water-breathing freshwater fish

Summary To provide a hitherto lacking review which focuses on gill surface area of freshwater fish, we collected and analysed morphometric data from the literature. The scaling exponent of gill area ranges from 0.36 to 1.13, with a mean value of 0.76. The absolute values for the largest gill areas are about 5 times as high as those of the smallest. This range resembles that of marine fish, if specially adapted steady swimmers, such as tunnies and some sharks, are excluded. Generally it appears that the gill areas of freshwater fish are smaller than those of comparable marine species. To establish whether a relationship exists between gill area and swimming activity or oxygen content of water, the activity of each species and the oxygen content of its habitat were estimated and checked against the gill area. ANOVA revealed that activity explains the presence of the smallest gill areas only, while oxygen content does not correlate with gill area at all. The morphometric variables determining gill area (total length of filaments, average lamellar density, average lamellar area) are highly correlated; total gill area correlates mainly with lamellar density and to a lesser degree with filament length; lamellar area varies independently. Different populations of the same species exhibit striking differences with respect to gill areas, total length of filaments, average lamellar density and average lamellar area. These differences point to a substantial morphological plasticity of the gill system.     

Development of the neo-morphic air breathing organ in the swamp-eel, Monopterus albus (Zuiew)

The embryonic gill material derived from the 1st gill arch gives rise to the respiratory epithelium of the mouth cavity for aerial respiration in Monopterus albus. A comprehensive gill mass formed by mixing of the embryonic gill materials derived from the dorsal ends of the gill arches (II to V) gives rise to the fused gill filaments on the 1st and IInd gill arches that subserve the purpose of utilizing O2 from air or water.     

Reexamination of the Byczkowska-Smyk gill surface area data for European teleosts, with new measurements on the pikeperch, Sander lucioperca

This paper reexamines the gill morphometrics of 20 European teleosts first reported in the early gill literature by Byczkowska-Smyk and colleagues in attempt to clarify the long-recognized discrepancies between these data and those obtained in subsequent works. Determination of gill dimensions for the pikeperch, Sander lucioperca, in this study (a species for which Byczkowska-Smyk reported data), along with a literature review for other European teleosts, reveals inaccurate estimation of the total gill surface area by up to 18× for 19 of the 20 species reexamined. This error results primarily from imprecise determination of the bilateral surface area of individual gill lamellae and, to a lesser extent, the incorrect assumption that lamellar area and frequency are species-specific constants that do not vary with fish body mass. This review compiles gill morphometric data from various sources to be used in place of the inaccurate gill area estimates of Byczkowska-Smyk and colleagues and thereby clears the way for higher resolution in the comparative analysis of gill morphology and its correlation to fish habitat and life history characteristics.     

鳙鳃上台湾棘带吸虫囊蚴的感染

从1993年8月到1994年11月,对感染台湾棘带吸虫囊蚴的鳙鳃丝、鳃耙进行了为期16个月的调查研究表明;鳃丝、鳃耙的感染率范围为0-100%(83.33±25.47%)、(61.13±44.45%),感染强度范围分别为0-109.15(54.89±34.09)、0-125.57(41.18±49.34),囊蚴的平均密度范围分别为0-97.76(46.94±26.25),0-125.57(40.61±49.71);当鳙体长小于90mm时,鳃丝、鳃耙的感染率、感染强度、囊蚴的平均密度随着其体长的增大而增长;当体长大于90mm时,三项指标随着其体长的增大具有减小的趋势,其中鳃耙的变化规律明显;当体长大于141.7mm时,鳃耙的感染率、感染强度、囊蚴的平均密度都为0;随着鳙的生长,鳃丝囊蚴所占的比例逐渐增大,从0增加到100%,而鳃耙囊蚴所占的比例逐渐减小,从100%下降到0.       

Functional morphology of the gills of the shortfin mako,Isurus oxyrinchus,a lamnid shark

This study examines the functional gill morphology of the shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, to determine the extent to which its gill structure is convergent with that of tunas for specializations required to increase gas exchange and withstand the forceful branchial flow induced by ram ventilation. Mako gill structure is also compared to that of the blue shark, Prionace glauca, an epipelagic species with lower metabolic requirements and a reduced dependence on fast, continuous swimming to ventilate the gills. The gill surface area of the mako is about one‐half that of a comparably sized tuna, but more than twice that of the blue shark and other nonlamnid shark species. Mako gills are also distinguished from those of other sharks by shorter diffusion distances and a more fully developed diagonal blood‐flow pattern through the gill lamellae, which is similar to that found in tunas. Although the mako lacks the filament and lamellar fusions of tunas and other ram‐ventilating teleosts, its gill filaments are stiffened by the elasmobranch interbranchial septum, and the lamellae appear to be stabilized by one to two vascular sacs that protrude from the lamellar surface and abut sacs of adjacent lamellae. Vasoactive agents and changes in vascular pressure potentially influence sac size, consequently effecting lamellar rigidity and both the volume and speed of water through the interlamellar channels. However, vascular sacs also occur in the blue shark, and no other structural elements of the mako gill appear specialized for ram ventilation. Rather, the basic elasmobranch gill design and pattern of branchial circulation are both conserved. Despite specializations that increase mako gill area and efficacy relative to other sharks, the basic features of the elasmobranch gill design appear to have limited selection for a larger gill surface area, and this may ultimately constrain mako aerobic performance in comparison to tunas. J. Morphol. 271:937–948, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Evolution of the branchiostegal membrane and restricted gill openings in Actinopterygian fishes

A phylogenetic survey is a powerful approach for investigating the evolutionary history of a morphological characteristic that has evolved numerous times without obvious functional implications. Restricted gill openings, an extreme modification of the branchiostegal membrane, are an example of such a characteristic. We examine the evolution of branchiostegal membrane morphology and highlight convergent evolution of restricted gill openings. We surveyed specimens from 433 families of actinopterygians for branchiostegal membrane morphology and measured head and body dimensions. We inferred a relaxed molecular clock phylogeny with branch length estimates based on nine nuclear genes sampled from 285 species that include all major lineages of Actinopterygii. We calculated marginal state reconstructions of four branchiostegal membrane conditions and found that restricted gill openings have evolved independently in at least 11 major actinopterygian clades, and the total number of independent origins of the trait is likely much higher. A principal component analysis revealed that fishes with restricted gill openings occupy a larger morphospace, as defined by our linear measurements, than do fishes with nonrestricted openings. We used a decision tree analysis of ecological data to determine if restricted gill openings are linked to certain environments. We found that fishes with restricted gill openings repeatedly occur under a variety of ecological conditions, although they are rare in open‐ocean pelagic environments. We also tested seven ratios for their utility in distinguishing between fishes with and without restricted gill openings, and we propose a simple metric for quantifying restricted gill openings (RGO), defined as a ratio of the distance from the ventral midline to the gill opening relative to half the circumference of the head. Functional explanations for this specialized morphology likely differ within each clade, but its repeated evolution indicates a need for a better understanding of diversity of ventilatory morphology among fishes. J. Morphol. 276:681–694, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

版纳鱼螈胚胎和幼体鳃的退化观察

为了解版纳鱼螈(Ichthyophis bannanicus)胚胎和幼体鳃的退化特征,同窝卵中8枚在胚胎成熟阶段早期被随机取出剖产,随后余下的9枚卵在胚胎成熟阶段晚期时孵出或剖产,观察幼体或胚胎鳃的变化。成熟阶段早期的胚胎,初时其鳃色鲜红,鳃枝充盈,鳃丝与鳃轴近乎垂直;随后鳃色发白,鳃枝疲软,鳃丝卷曲,鳃丝与鳃轴夹角变小。成熟阶段晚期的胚胎和刚孵出的幼体,初时其鳃色纯白,鳃枝疲软,鳃丝卷曲,鳃丝与鳃轴夹角较小;随后鳃逐渐脱落。观察发现,版纳鱼螈胚胎或幼体鳃的退化模式不是重吸收,也不是重吸收加脱落,而仅为脱落。鳃退化过程经历外鳃供血减少-供血停止-鳃枝组织死亡和脱落3个阶段,每个阶段都有明显的外部形态特征。胚胎进入成熟阶段后,越早孵化,鳃枝留存越多,反之,鳃枝留存越少。发白后的鳃枝随机性脱落。     

Enzymatic capacities for beta-oxidation of fatty fuels are low in the gill of teleost fishes despite presence of fatty acid-binding protein.

A variety of circulating fuels can support the work of the teleost gill. Previous work indicates, however, that unlike other aerobic tissues from teleosts, the gill may have a limited capacity to oxidize fatty fuels. We determined capacities for catabolism of carbohydrate, fatty acids, and amino acids in four species of temperate marine or euryhaline teleosts representing distinct lineages. In addition, we assessed the capacity for fatty acid oxidation in the gill from an Antarctic species. Activities of rate-limiting or regulatory enzymes from pathways of energy metabolism were measured at physiological temperatures (15 degrees or 1 degrees C). In the temperate species, ATP yields from glucose are 3- to 30-fold greater (varying with species) than ATP yields from a monounsaturated fatty acid, while ATP generation from glutamate is 2-50 times greater than similar capacities for the lipid fuel. Like the temperate species, capacity for beta-oxidation of fatty acids is limited in the Antarctic species. A positive linear correlation between activities of citrate synthase (central pathway of oxidative metabolism) and hexokinase (glycolysis) adds further support to the hypothesis that glucose is a preferred metabolic fuel in gill. Our results also demonstrate that fatty acid-binding protein is present in the gill of teleost fishes. It is likely that this protein plays a more important role facilitating anabolic pathways in lipid metabolism rather than fatty acid oxidation in the gill of teleost fishes.     

台湾棘带吸虫囊蚴在鳙鳃丝、鳃耙上的分布

通过对鳙为期16个月的定期取样研究发现,1993年8月到1994年3月,台湾棘带吸虫的囊蚴主要分布在鳃耙上,1994年4月至11月,囊蚴则主要分布在鳃丝上;当鳙体长范围为30-90mm时,囊蚴主要分布在鳃耙上,当体长大于90mm时,囊蚴主要分布在鳃丝上,随着鳙的生长,鳃丝囊蚴所占的比例逐渐增大,从0增加到100%,而鳃耙囊蚴所占的比例逐渐减小,从100%下降到0;不同月份、不同体长组鳙其不同组鳃丝囊蚴分布规律相同,第2组鳃丝囊蚴分布较多,第3、第1、第4组鳃丝囊蚴分布依次减少：其不同组鳃耙囊蚴分布规律也相同,总是第1组鳃耙囊蚴分布较多,其余依次为第2、第3、第4组鳃耙;囊蚴在鳙鳃丝和鳃耙上的分布都呈聚集分布,且聚集的强度随囊蚴内种群密度的增高而增高。     

Electrophysiological studies of the gill ganglion inAplysia californica

1. An electrophysiological analysis was made of gill ganglion neurons in Aplysia californica. 2. Gill ganglion neurons behave similarly to neurons in the abdominal ganglion (the central nervous systems; CNS) that are involved with gill withdrawal behaviors. 3. Some gill ganglion neurons are motor neurons much like those in the CNS. 4. Neurons in the gill ganglion are electronically and dye-coupled. In addition, they receive common chemical synaptic inputs from the Int-II network in the CNS. 5. Tactile stimulation of the gill or siphon evokes synaptic activity in gill ganglion neurons whether or not the CNS is present. 6. Pedal nerve stimulation results in synaptic activity in gill ganglion neurons and facilitates synaptic input evoked by tactile stimulation of the gill or siphon. 7. Antibody staining reveals serotonin-like fibers in the branchial nerve close to the gill ganglion but no cell bodies in the ganglion. 8. The gill ganglion may play a role in the mediation of adaptive gill reflex behaviors. It may be one of the loci where the CNS and peripheral nervous system (PNS) interact and form an integrated circuit to mediate gill withdrawal reflex (GWR) behaviors.     

Structural adaptations for ram ventilation: Gill fusions in scombrids and billfishes

For ram‐gill ventilators such as tunas and mackerels (family Scombridae) and billfishes (families Istiophoridae, Xiphiidae), fusions binding the gill lamellae and filaments prevent gill deformation by a fast and continuous ventilatory stream. This study examines the gills from 28 scombrid and seven billfish species in order to determine how factors such as body size, swimming speed, and the degree of dependence upon ram ventilation influence the site of occurrence and type of fusions. In the family Scombridae there is a progressive increase in the reliance on ram ventilation that correlates with the elaboration of gill fusions. This ranges from mackerels (tribe Scombrini), which only utilize ram ventilation at fast cruising speeds and lack gill fusions, to tunas (tribe Thunnini) of the genus Thunnus, which are obligate ram ventilators and have two distinct fusion types (one binding the gill lamellae and a second connecting the gill filaments). The billfishes appear to have independently evolved gill fusions that rival those of tunas in terms of structural complexity. Examination of a wide range of body sizes for some scombrids and billfishes shows that gill fusions begin to develop at lengths as small as 2.0 cm fork length. In addition to securing the spatial configuration of the gill sieve, gill fusions also appear to increase branchial resistance to slow the high‐speed current produced by ram ventilation to distribute flow evenly and optimally to the respiratory exchange surfaces. J. Morphol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Intraspecific variation in gill morphology of juvenile Nile perch, Lates niloticus, in Lake Nabugabo, Uganda

Several studies have demonstrated intraspecific variation in fish gill size that relates to variation in dissolved oxygen (DO) availability across habitats. In Lake Nabugabo, East Africa, ecological change over the past 12 years has coincided with a shift in the distribution of introduced Nile perch such that a larger proportion of the population now inhabits waters in or near wetland ecotones where DO is lower than in open waters of the lake. In this study, we compared gill size of juvenile Nile perch between wetland and exposed (open-water) habitats of Lake Nabugabo in 2007, as well as between Nile perch collected in 1996 and 2007. For Nile perch of Lake Nabugabo [<20 cm total length (TL)], there was a significant habitat effect on some gill traits. In general, fish from wetland habitats were characterized by a longer total gill filament length and average gill filament length than conspecifics from exposed habitats. Nile perch collected from wetland areas in 2007 had significantly larger gills (total gill filament length) than Nile perch collected in 1996, but there was no difference detected between Nile perch collected from exposed sites in 2007 and conspecifics collected in 1996.     

Uptake of glycolic acid by a marine bivalve

Glycolic acid is accumulated by in vitro preparations of gill tissue from the quahog clam, Mercenaria sp., by a process indicating diffusion kinetics. Carbon-14 from labelled glycolic acid was found in the lipid fraction of the gill tissue. Evolution of labelled carbon dioxide suggests that the glycolic acid is metabolized in gill tissue.     

Morphometric examination of the gills of walleye, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchill) and rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson

Observations on the gill morphology of individual gill arches of walleye, Stizostedion vitreum vitreum and rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri suggest that the first two arches account for the highest proportion of gill filament number, secondary lamellae number, lamellae area, and gill surface area. Interspecific comparisons suggest walleye contain a larger number of gill filaments, with a lower secondary lamellae count, but a larger gill surface area than a trout of the same weight. This is partially attributed to the larger surface area of each lamella in a walleye than in a trout.
A detailed examination suggests the surface area of a lamella is dependent on its position on the gill filament, and the position of the gill filament on the gill arch.     

Vascular organization of the head and respiratory organs of the air-breathing catfish,Heteropneustes fossilis

Light and scanning electron microscopy of vascular replicas from the facultative air-breathing fish Heteropneustes fossilis show modifications in the macrocirculation of the respiratory organs and systemic circulation, whereas, gill microcirculation is similar to that found in typical water-breathing fish. Three and sometimes four ventral aortae arise directly from the bulbus. The most ventral vessel supplies the first pair of arches. Dorsal to this another aorta supplies the second gill arches, and a third, dorsal to, and larger than the other two, supplies the third and fourth arches and the air sacs. Occasionally a small vessel that may be the remnant of a primitive aortic arch arises from the first ventral aorta and proceeds directly to the mandibular region without perfusing gill tissue. The air sac is perfused by a large-diameter extension of the afferent branchial artery of the fourth gill arch and its circulation is in parallel with the gill arches. Blood drains from the air sac into the fourth arch epibranchial artery. A number of arteries also provide direct communication between the efferent air sac artery and the dorsal aorta. All four gill arches are well developed and contain respiratory (lamellar) and nonrespiratory (interlamellar and nutrient) networks common to gills of water-breathing fish. Air sac lamellae are reduced in size. The outer 30% of the air sac lamellar sinusoids are organized into thoroughfare channels; the remaining vasculature, normally embedded in the air sac parenchyma, is discontinuous. A gill-type interlamellar vasculature is lacking in the air sac circulation. Despite the elaborate development of the ventral aortae, there is little other anatomical evidence to suggest that gill and air sac outflow are separated and that dorsal aortic oxygen tensions are maintained when the gills are in a hypoxic environment. Physiological adjustments to hypoxic water conditions probably include temporal regulation of gill and air sac perfusion to be effective, if indeed they are so.     

Hydrogen shuttles in gills of water versus air breathing osteoglossids.

1. Using subcellular preparations of gills from Arapaima, an obligate air breather, and aruana, a related osteoglossid that is an obligate water breather, a comparison was made of the relative roles of the malate-aspartate cycle and the alpha-glycerophosphate (alpha-GP) cycle in transferring reducing equivalents from the cytosol to the mitochondria. 2. In aruana gill preparations, the alpha-GP cycle could be most clearly demonstrated by reconstructing it with purified isolated mitochondria, using the oxidation rate of exogenous NADH as a measure of the cycling activity. 3. Subcellular preparations of Arapaima gill, in contrast to the aruana gill, were not responsive to exogenous alpha-glycerophosphate, but a glutamate-malate stimulated O2 uptake was sensitive to aminooxyacetate, an aminotransferase inhibitor, a result that would be expected if the respiration were based on malate-aspartate cycling. 4. It was concluded that, compared to the alpha-glycerophosphate cycle, the malate-aspartate cycle was relatively more active in Arapaima gill than in aruana gill, and possible implications were discussed.     

L9 modulation of gill withdrawal reflex habituation in Aplysia.

Repeated tactile stimulation of the siphon in Aphysia normally results in habituation of the gill withdrawal reflex and a concomitant decrease in the amplitude of the excitatory synaptic input ot gill motor neurons in the abdominal ganglion. It was found, however, that induced low-level tonic activity in motor neuron L9, which does not itself elicit a gill withdrawal movement, prevented habituation of the reflex from occurring. Further, in preparations already habituated, this tonic low-level activity brought about a reversal of habituation. Although tonic L9 activity prevented the occurrence of habituation or brought about its reversal, it did not interfere with the synaptic decremental process which normally accompanies gill reflex habituation. Motor neurons L7 and LDG1 were found not to possess this ability of L9 to modulate gill reflex habituation. Evidence suggests that L9's modulatory effect is mediated in the periphery, in the gill and not centrally in the abdominal ganglion.     

Permeability properties and occludin expression in a primary cultured model gill epithelium from the stenohaline freshwater goldfish

Techniques for the primary culture of fish gill epithelia on permeable supports have provided ‘reconstructed’ gill models appropriate for the study of gill permeability characteristics in vitro. Models developed thus far have been derived from euryhaline fish species that can tolerate a wide range of environmental salinity. This study reports on procedures for the primary culture of a model gill epithelium derived from goldfish, a stenohaline freshwater (FW) fish that cannot tolerate high environmental salt concentrations. The reconstructed goldfish gill epithelium was cultured on permeable filter inserts and using electron microscopy and immunocytochemical techniques, was determined to be composed exclusively of gill pavement cells. When cultured under symmetrical conditions (i.e. with culture medium bathing both apical and basolateral surfaces), epithelial preparations generated appreciable transepithelial resistance (TER) (e.g. 1,150 ± 46 Ωcm²) within 36–42 h post-seeding in inserts. When apical medium was replaced with FW (asymmetrical conditions to mimic conditions that occur in vivo), epithelia exhibited increased TER and elevated paracellular permeability. Changes in permeability occurred in association with altered occludin-immunoreactive band position by western blot and no change in occludin mRNA abundance. We contend that the goldfish gill model will provide a useful in vitro tool for examining the molecular components of a stenohaline fish gill epithelium that participate in the regulation of gill permeability. The model will allow molecular observations to be made together with assessment of changing physiological properties that relate to permeability. Together, this will allow further insight into mechanisms that regulate gill permeability in fishes.