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Ma Y, Liu Y, Sun J, Min P, Liu W, Li L, Yi P, Guo R, Chen J. Ecological risks of high-ammonia environment with inhibited growth of Daphnia magna: Disturbed energy metabolism and oxidative stress. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174959. [PMID: 39059654 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2024] [Revised: 07/18/2024] [Accepted: 07/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
High ammonia pollution is a common problem in water bodies. However, research on the mechanisms underlying the toxic effects on organisms at different nutritional levels is still insufficient. Herein, based on the environmental concentration, the toxic effects of high ammonia pollution on Daphnia magna were investigated. Overall, the feeding and filtration rates of D. magna were significantly decreased by ammonia. Growth inhibition of D. magna by ammonia was confirmed by the decreased body length. After ammonia exposure, the metabolic status of D. magna changed, the correlation network weakened, and the correlations between metabolites were disrupted. Changes occurred in metabolites primarily involved in oxidative stress, fatty acid oxidation, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and protein digestion, absorption, and synthesis, which were validated through alterations in multiple biomarkers. In addition, mitochondrial function was evaluated and was found to inhibit mitochondrial activity, which was accompanied by a decreased marker of mitochondrial activity contents and ATPase activity. Thus, the results suggested that energy metabolism and oxidative stress were involved in ammonia-induced growth toxicity. This study provides new insights into the impact of ammonia on aquatic ecological health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfeng Ma
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Yanhua Liu
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jiawei Sun
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Peng Min
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Environmental Protection of Water Ecological Health in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River, Jiangsu Provincial Academy of Environmental Science, Nanjing 210036, China
| | - Lei Li
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Pan Yi
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Ruixin Guo
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China
| | - Jianqiu Chen
- School of Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
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2
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Zimmer AM. Ammonia excretion by the fish gill: discoveries and ideas that shaped our current understanding. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-024-01561-5. [PMID: 38849577 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01561-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
The fish gill serves many physiological functions, among which is the excretion of ammonia, the primary nitrogenous waste in most fishes. Although it is the end-product of nitrogen metabolism, ammonia serves many physiological functions including acting as an acid equivalent and as a counter-ion in mechanisms of ion regulation. Our current understanding of the mechanisms of ammonia excretion have been influenced by classic experimental work, clever mechanistic approaches, and modern molecular and genetic techniques. In this review, I will overview the history of the study of ammonia excretion by the gills of fishes, highlighting the important advancements that have shaped this field with a nearly 100-year history. The developmental and evolutionary implications of an ammonia and gill-dominated nitrogen regulation strategy in most fishes will also be discussed. Throughout the review, I point to areas in which more work is needed to push forward this field of research that continues to produce novel insights and discoveries that will undoubtedly shape our overall understanding of fish physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Zimmer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, 100 Tucker Park Road, Saint John, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 4L5, Canada.
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Leonard EM, Porteus CS, Brink D, Milsom WK. Fish gill chemosensing: knowledge gaps and inconsistencies. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-024-01553-5. [PMID: 38758303 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01553-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
In this review, we explore the inconsistencies in the data and gaps in our knowledge that exist in what is currently known regarding gill chemosensors which drive the cardiorespiratory reflexes in fish. Although putative serotonergic neuroepithelial cells (NEC) dominate the literature, it is clear that other neurotransmitters are involved (adrenaline, noradrenaline, acetylcholine, purines, and dopamine). And although we assume that these agents act on neurons synapsing with the NECs or in the afferent or efferent limbs of the paths between chemosensors and central integration sites, this process remains elusive and may explain current discrepancies or species differences in the literature. To date it has been impossible to link the distribution of NECs to species sensitivity to different stimuli or fish lifestyles and while the gills have been shown to be the primary sensing site for respiratory gases, the location (gills, oro-branchial cavity or elsewhere) and orientation (external/water or internal/blood sensing) of the NECs are highly variable between species of water and air breathing fish. Much of what has been described so far comes from studies of hypoxic responses in fish, however, changes in CO2, ammonia and lactate have all been shown to elicit cardio-respiratory responses and all have been suggested to arise from stimulation of gill NECs. Our view of the role of NECs is broadening as we begin to understand the polymodal nature of these cells. We begin by presenting the fundamental picture of gill chemosensing that has developed, followed by some key unanswered questions about gill chemosensing in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin M Leonard
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Cosima S Porteus
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Deidre Brink
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William K Milsom
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Caneos WG, Shrivastava J, Ndugwa M, De Boeck G. Physiological responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) exposed to increased carbon dioxide and reduced seawater salinities. Mol Biol Rep 2024; 51:496. [PMID: 38587695 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-024-09460-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The iono- and osmoregulatory capacities of marine teleosts, such as European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) are expected to be challenged by high carbon dioxide exposure, and the adverse effects of elevated CO2 could be amplified when such fish migrate into less buffered hypo-osmotic estuarine environments. Therefore, the effects of increased CO2 on the physiological responses of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) acclimated to 32 ppt, 10 ppt and 2.5 ppt were investigated. METHODS Following acclimation to different salinities for two weeks, fish were exposed to present-day (400 µatm) and future (1000 µatm) atmospheric CO2 for 1, 3, 7 and 21 days. Blood pH, plasma ions (Na+, K+, Cl-), branchial mRNA expression of ion transporters such as Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), Na+/K+/2Cl- co-transporters (NKCC) and ammonia transporters (e.g. Rhesus glycoproteins Rhbg, Rhcg1 and Rhcg2) were examined to understand the iono- and osmoregulatory consequences of elevated CO2. RESULTS A transient but significant increase in the blood pH of exposed fish acclimated at 10 ppt (day 1) and 2.5 ppt (day 21) was observed possibly due to an overshoot of the blood HCO3- accumulation while a significant reduction of blood pH was observed after 21 days at 2.5ppt. However, no change was seen at 32 ppt. Generally, Na + concentration of control fish was relatively higher at 10 ppt and lower at 2.5 ppt compared to 32 ppt control group at all sampling periods. Additionally, NKA was upregulated in gill of juvenile sea bass when acclimated to lower salinities compared to 32 ppt control group. CO2 exposure generally downregulated NKA mRNA expression at 32ppt (day 1), 10 ppt (days 3, 7 and 21) and 2.5ppt (days 1 and 7) and also a significant reduction of NKCC mRNA level of the exposed fish acclimated at 32 ppt (1-3 days) and 10 ppt (7-21 days) was observed. Furthermore, Rhesus glycoproteins were generally upregulated in the fish acclimated at lower salinities indicating a higher dependance on gill ammonia excretion. Increased CO2 led to a reduced expression of Rhbg and may therefore reduce ammonia excretion rate. CONCLUSION Juvenile sea bass were relatively successful in keeping acid base balance under an ocean acidification scenario. However, this came at a cost for ionoregulation with reduced NKA, NKCC and Rhbg expression rates as a consequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warren G Caneos
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, BE-2020, Belgium.
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Mindanao State University-Marawi, Marawi City, 9700, Philippines.
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan City, 9200, Philippines.
| | - Jyotsna Shrivastava
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Moses Ndugwa
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Gudrun De Boeck
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, BE-2020, Belgium
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Zhao XF, Huang J, Li W, Wang SY, Liang LQ, Zhang LM, Liew HJ, Chang YM. Rh proteins and H + transporters involved in ammonia excretion in Amur Ide (Leuciscus waleckii) under high alkali exposure. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2024; 273:116160. [PMID: 38432157 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2024.116160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
High alkaline environment can lead to respiratory alkalosis and ammonia toxification to freshwater fish. However, the Amur ide (Leuciscus waleckii), which inhabits an extremely alkaline lake in China with titratable alkalinity up to 53.57 mM (pH 9.6) has developed special physiological and molecular mechanisms to adapt to such an environment. Nevertheless, how the Amur ide can maintain acid-base balance and perform ammonia detoxification effectively remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to study the ammonia excretion rate (Tamm), total nitrogen accumulation in blood and tissues, including identification, expression, and localization of ammonia-related transporters in gills of both the alkali and freshwater forms of the Amur ide. The results showed that the freshwater form Amur ide does not have a perfect ammonia excretion mechanism exposed to high-alkaline condition. Nevertheless, the alkali form of Amur ide was able to excrete ammonia better than freshwater from Amur ide, which was facilitated by the ionocytes transporters (Rhbg, Rhcg1, Na+/H+ exchanger 2 (NHE2), and V-type H+ ATPase (VHA)) in the gills. Converting ammonia into urea served as an ammonia detoxication strategy to reduced endogenous ammonia accumulation under high-alkaline environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Fei Zhao
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China; College of Wildlife and Protected Area, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Jing Huang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China
| | - Wen Li
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China; College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 2000, China
| | - Shuang Yi Wang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China; BGI Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518083, China
| | - Li Qun Liang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China
| | - Li Min Zhang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China
| | - Hon Jung Liew
- Higher Institution Center of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries, Universiti of Malaysia Terengganu, Kuala Nerus, Terengganu 21030, Malaysia
| | - Yu Mei Chang
- National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Freshwater Fish Breeding, Heilongjiang River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Harbin 150070, China.
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Williamson G, Harris T, Bizior A, Hoskisson PA, Pritchard L, Javelle A. Biological ammonium transporters: evolution and diversification. FEBS J 2024. [PMID: 38265636 DOI: 10.1111/febs.17059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Although ammonium is the preferred nitrogen source for microbes and plants, in animal cells it is a toxic product of nitrogen metabolism that needs to be excreted. Thus, ammonium movement across biological membranes, whether for uptake or excretion, is a fundamental and ubiquitous biological process catalysed by the superfamily of the Amt/Mep/Rh transporters. A remarkable feature of the Amt/Mep/Rh family is that they are ubiquitous and, despite sharing low amino acid sequence identity, are highly structurally conserved. Despite sharing a common structure, these proteins have become involved in a diverse range of physiological process spanning all domains of life, with reports describing their involvement in diverse biological processes being published regularly. In this context, we exhaustively present their range of biological roles across the domains of life and after explore current hypotheses concerning their evolution to help to understand how and why the conserved structure fulfils diverse physiological functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Williamson
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Thomas Harris
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Adriana Bizior
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Paul Alan Hoskisson
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Leighton Pritchard
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Arnaud Javelle
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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7
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Liu W, Xu C, Li Z, Chen L, Wang X, Li E. Reducing Dietary Protein Content by Increasing Carbohydrates Is More Beneficial to the Growth, Antioxidative Capacity, Ion Transport, and Ammonia Excretion of Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) under Long-Term Alkalinity Stress. AQUACULTURE NUTRITION 2023; 2023:9775823. [PMID: 38023982 PMCID: PMC10667043 DOI: 10.1155/2023/9775823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Alkalinity stress is the main stress experienced by aquatic animals in saline-alkali water, which hinders the aquaculture development and the utilization of water resources. The two-factor (2 × 3) test was adopted to study the influence of dietary protein to carbohydrate ratios on the energy metabolism of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) under different alkalinity stress levels. Three diets with different protein-carbohydrate ratios (P27/C35, P35/C25, and P42/C15) were fed to fish cultured in freshwater (FW, 1.3 mmol/L carbonate alkalinity) or alkaline water (AW, 35.7 mmol/L carbonate alkalinity) for 50 days. Ambient alkalinity decreased tilapia growth performance. Although ambient alkalinity caused oxidative stress and enhanced ion transport and ammonia metabolism in tilapia, tilapia fed the P27/C35 diet showed better adaptability than fish fed the other two diets in alkaline water. Further metabolomic analysis showed that tilapia upregulated all the pathways enriched in this study to cope with alkalinity stress. Under alkalinity stress, tilapia fed the P27/C35 diet exhibited enhanced pyruvate metabolism and purine metabolism compared with tilapia fed the P42/C15 diet. This study indicated that ambient alkalinity could significantly decrease growth performance and cause oxidative stress and osmotic regulation. However, reducing dietary protein content by increasing carbohydrates could weaken stress and improve growth performance, ion transport, and ammonia metabolism in tilapia under long-term hyperalkaline exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Hainan Aquaculture Breeding Engineering Research Center, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Chang Xu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Hainan Aquaculture Breeding Engineering Research Center, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Zhao Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Hainan Aquaculture Breeding Engineering Research Center, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
| | - Liqiao Chen
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiaodan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Erchao Li
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Hydrobiology and Biotechnology of Hainan Province, Hainan Aquaculture Breeding Engineering Research Center, School of Marine Biology and Aquaculture, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, China
- School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
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Takvam M, Wood CM, Kryvi H, Nilsen TO. Role of the kidneys in acid-base regulation and ammonia excretion in freshwater and seawater fish: implications for nephrocalcinosis. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1226068. [PMID: 37457024 PMCID: PMC10339814 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1226068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintaining normal pH levels in the body fluids is essential for homeostasis and represents one of the most tightly regulated physiological processes among vertebrates. Fish are generally ammoniotelic and inhabit diverse aquatic environments that present many respiratory, acidifying, alkalinizing, ionic and osmotic stressors to which they are able to adapt. They have evolved flexible strategies for the regulation of acid-base equivalents (H+, NH4 +, OH- and HCO3 -), ammonia and phosphate to cope with these stressors. The gills are the main regulatory organ, while the kidneys play an important, often overlooked accessory role in acid-base regulation. Here we outline the kidneys role in regulation of acid-base equivalents and two of the key 'urinary buffers', ammonia and phosphate, by integrating known aspects of renal physiology with recent advances in the molecular and cellular physiology of membrane transport systems in the teleost kidneys. The renal transporters (NHE3, NBC1, AE1, SLC26A6) and enzymes (V-type H+ATPase, CAc, CA IV, ammoniagenic enzymes) involved in H+ secretion, bicarbonate reabsorption, and the net excretion of acidic and basic equivalents, ammonia, and inorganic phosphate are addressed. The role of sodium-phosphate cotransporter (Slc34a2b) and rhesus (Rh) glycoproteins (ammonia channels) in conjunction with apical V-type H+ ATPase and NHE3 exchangers in these processes are also explored. Nephrocalcinosis is an inflammation-like disorder due to the precipitation of calcareous material in the kidneys, and is listed as one of the most prevalent pathologies in land-based production of salmonids in recirculating aquaculture systems. The causative links underlying the pathogenesis and etiology of nephrocalcinosis in teleosts is speculative at best, but acid-base perturbation is probably a central pathophysiological cause. Relevant risk factors associated with nephrocalcinosis are hypercapnia and hyperoxia in the culture water. These raise internal CO2 levels in the fish, triggering complex branchial and renal acid-base compensations which may promote formation of kidney stones. However, increased salt loads through the rearing water and the feed may increase the prevalence of nephrocalcinosis. An increased understanding of the kidneys role in acid-base and ion regulation and how this relates to renal diseases such as nephrocalcinosis will have applied relevance for the biologist and aquaculturist alike.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Takvam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Chris M. Wood
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - H. Kryvi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tom O. Nilsen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Kato A, Kimura Y, Kurita Y, Chang MH, Kasai K, Fujiwara T, Hirata T, Doi H, Hirose S, Romero MF. Seawater fish use an electrogenic boric acid transporter, Slc4a11A, for boric acid excretion by the kidney. J Biol Chem 2023; 299:102740. [PMID: 36435196 PMCID: PMC9803922 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 11/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Boric acid is a vital micronutrient in animals; however, excess amounts are toxic to them. Little is known about whole-body boric acid homeostasis in animals. Seawater (SW) contains 0.4 mM boric acid, and since marine fish drink SW, their urinary system was used here as a model of the boric acid excretion system. We determined that the bladder urine of a euryhaline pufferfish (river pufferfish, Takifugu obscurus) acclimated to fresh water and SW contained 0.020 and 19 mM of boric acid, respectively (a 950-fold difference), indicating the presence of a powerful excretory renal system for boric acid. Slc4a11 is a potential animal homolog of the plant boron transporter BOR1; however, mammalian Slc4a11 mediates H+ (OH-) conductance but does not transport boric acid. We found that renal expression of the pufferfish paralog of Slc4a11, Slc4a11A, was markedly induced after transfer from fresh water to SW, and Slc4a11A was localized to the apical membrane of kidney tubules. When pufferfish Slc4a11A was expressed in Xenopus oocytes, exposure to media containing boric acid and a voltage clamp elicited whole-cell outward currents, a marked increase in pHi, and increased boron content. In addition, the activity of Slc4a11A was independent of extracellular Na+. These results indicate that pufferfish Slc4a11A is an electrogenic boric acid transporter that functions as a B(OH)4- uniporter, B(OH)3-OH- cotransporter, or B(OH)3/H+ exchanger. These observations suggest that Slc4a11A is involved in the kidney tubular secretion of boric acid in SW fish, probably induced by the negative membrane potential and low pH of urine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akira Kato
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan; Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan; Center for Biological Resources and Informatics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
| | - Yuuri Kimura
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Yukihiro Kurita
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Min-Hwang Chang
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Koji Kasai
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toru Fujiwara
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Taku Hirata
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Hiroyuki Doi
- Nifrel, Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Co, Ltd, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigehisa Hirose
- Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Michael F Romero
- Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; Nephrology & Hypertension, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA; O'Brien Urology Research Center, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
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10
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Huang M, Shang ZH, Wu MX, Zhang LJ, Zhang YL. Regulation of Rhesus glycoprotein-related genes in large-scale loach Paramisgurnus dabryanus during ammonia loading. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 244:114077. [PMID: 36108439 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.114077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 09/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne ammonia is one of the crucial issues that limited production and animal health in aquaculture. Ammonia-tolerant varieties are highly desired in intensive fish farming. Screening for the key regulatory genes of ammonia tolerance is essential for variety breeding. According to the previous hypothesis, Rh glycoproteins play an important role in ammonia excretion in teleosts. However, the ammonia defensive mechanisms are not well described at present for large-scale loach (Paramisgurnus dabryanus), a typical air-breathing and commercially important fish in East Asia. Here we show that the transcription of Rh glycoprotein-related genes was significantly affected by ammonia exposure in this species. Probit analysis showed that 96 h-LC50 of NH4Cl at 23 ℃ and pH 7.2 was 92.64 mmol/L. A significant increase of Rhcg expression in gills was observed after 48 h of 60 mmol/L and 36 h of 80 mmol/L NH4Cl exposure, suggesting that Rhcg present on the apical side of the branchial epithelium facilitates NH3 excretion out of gills. A high concentration of acute ammonia exposure induced elevated Rhbg transcript in the gills of large-scale loaches, while a slight change in Rhbg expression was observed in response to lower ammonia, suggesting that transcriptions of Rhbg genes are activated by a considerably high level of ambient ammonia to eliminate excessive endogenous nitrogen. The Rhag mRNA level in gills of large-scale loaches increased markedly with the prolonging of exposure time from 0 to 36 h of ammonia loading, suggesting Rhag localized in gills may be primarily associated with ammonia handling. During 7-21 days of ammonia exposure, the expression of most Rh glycoproteins-related genes in the gills decreased, indicating that the functional role of Rh glycoproteins is not primarily associated with ammonia defense over a long period (more than 7 days). Although a significant transcript of Rhbg was found in the skin of a large-scale loach, the lack of Rhcg and down-regulation of Rhag may indicate that the skin is not an essential location of ammonia excretion, at least when submerged to high levels of ammonia in the environment. In conclusion, Rh glycoproteins localized in gills as ammonia transporters play a momentous role in ammonia detoxification in this species during acute ammonia loading. However, it does not show a positive function during long-term ammonia exposure. Furthermore, the physiological function of Rh glycoproteins localized in the skin is still unclear and deserves further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Huang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China
| | - Ze-Hao Shang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China
| | - Meng-Xiao Wu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China
| | - Lin-Jiang Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China
| | - Yun-Long Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, PR China.
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Genome-wide identification of the NHE gene family in Coilia nasus and its response to salinity challenge and ammonia stress. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:526. [PMID: 35858854 PMCID: PMC9297642 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08761-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In aquatic environments, pH, salinity, and ammonia concentration are extremely important for aquatic animals. NHE is a two-way ion exchange carrier protein, which can transport Na+ into cells and exchange out H+, and also plays key roles in regulating intracellular pH, osmotic pressure, and ammonia concentration. Results In the present study, ten NHEs, the entire NHE gene family, were identified from Coilia nasus genome and systemically analyzed via phylogenetic, structural, and synteny analysis. Different expression patterns of C. nasus NHEs in multiple tissues indicated that expression profiles of NHE genes displayed tissue-specific. Expression patterns of C. nasus NHEs were related to ammonia excretion during multiple embryonic development stages. To explore the potential functions on salinity challenge and ammonia stress, expression levels of ten NHEs were detected in C. nasus gills under hypotonic stress, hypertonic stress, and ammonia stress. Expression levels of all NHEs were upregulated during hypotonic stress, while they were downregulated during hypertonic stress. NHE2 and NHE3 displayed higher expression levels in C. nasus larvae and juvenile gills under ammonia stress. Conclusions Our study revealed that NHE genes played distinct roles in embryonic development, salinity stress, and ammonia exposure. Syntenic analysis showed significant difference between stenohaline fish and euryhaline fishes. Our findings will provide insight into effects of C. nasus NHE gene family on ion transport and ammonia tolerance and be beneficial for healthy aquaculture of C. nasus. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08761-9.
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Aranda-Morales SA, Peña-Marín ES, Jiménez-Martínez LD, Martínez-Burguete T, Martínez-Bautista G, Álvarez-Villagómez CS, De la Rosa-García S, Camarillo-Coop S, Martínez-García R, Guzmán-Villanueva LT, Álvarez-González CA. Expression of ion transport proteins and routine metabolism in juveniles of tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) exposed to ammonia. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 250:109166. [PMID: 34411697 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2021.109166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Tropical gar (Atractosteus tropicus) thrives in aquatic habitats with high levels of total nitrogen (TAN) and unionized ammonia (NH3). However, the tolerance of TAN and NH3, the excretion mechanisms involved, and the effects of these chemicals on routine metabolism are still unknown. Therefore, our objectives were to assess the acute toxicity of TAN and NH3 in A. tropicus juveniles after a 96-h exposure (LC50-96 h) to NH4Cl and after chronic exposure to two concentrations (15% and 30% of LC50-96 h TAN) for 12 days, as well as to evaluate the transcriptional effects associated with Rhesus proteins (rhag, rhbg, rhcg) and ion transporters (NHE, NKA, NKCC, and CFTR) in gills and skin; and to determine the effects of TAN and NH3 on routine metabolism through oxygen consumption (μM g-1 h-1) and gill ventilation frequency (beats min-1). LC50-96 h values were 100.20 ± 11.21 mg/L for TAN and 3.756 ± 0.259 mg/L for NH3. The genes encoding Rhesus proteins and ion transporters in gills and skin showed a differential expression according to TAN concentrations and exposure time. Oxygen consumption on day 12 showed significant differences between treatments with 15% and 30% TAN. Gill ventilation frequency on day 12 was higher in fish exposed to 30% TAN. In conclusion, A. tropicus juveniles are highly tolerant to TAN, showing upregulation of the genes involved in TAN excretion through gills and skin, which affects routine oxygen consumption and energetic cost. These findings are relevant for understanding adaptations in the physiological response of a tropical ancestral air-breathing fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia A Aranda-Morales
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Emyr S Peña-Marín
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico; Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor, Del. Benito Juárez C.P. 03940, Mexico
| | - Luis D Jiménez-Martínez
- División Académica Multidisciplinaria de Jalpa de Méndez, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Nacajuca-Jalpa de Méndez R/a Rivera Alta, C.P. 86200 Jalpa de Méndez, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Talhia Martínez-Burguete
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Gil Martínez-Bautista
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Carina S Álvarez-Villagómez
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Susana De la Rosa-García
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Susana Camarillo-Coop
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Rafael Martínez-García
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico
| | - Laura T Guzmán-Villanueva
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor, Del. Benito Juárez C.P. 03940, Mexico; Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste S.C., Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195. Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita Sur, 23096 La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Carlos A Álvarez-González
- División Académica de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco, Carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas Km 0.5, C.P.86139 Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico.
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Marina G, Glover CN, Goss GG, Zimmer AM. The skin of adult rainbow trout is not a significant site of ammonia clearance from the blood. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2021; 99:1529-1534. [PMID: 34159596 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.14831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We hypothesized that the skin acts as an extrabranchial route for ammonia excretion in adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following high environmental ammonia (HEA) exposure. Trunks of control or HEA-exposed trout were perfused with saline containing 0 or 1 mmol l-1 NH4 + . Cutaneous ammonia excretion rates increased 2.5-fold following HEA exposure, however there was no difference in rates between trunks perfused with 0 or 1 mmol l-1 NH4 + . The skin is therefore capable of excreting its own ammonia load, but it does not clear circulating ammonia from the plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomin Marina
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chris N Glover
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Faculty of Science and Technology and Athabasca River Basin Research Institute, Athabasca University, Athabasca, Alberta, Canada
| | - Greg G Goss
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alex M Zimmer
- Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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14
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Romano N, Renukdas N, Fischer H, Shrivastava J, Baruah K, Egnew N, Sinha AK. Differential modulation of oxidative stress, antioxidant defense, histomorphology, ion-regulation and growth marker gene expression in goldfish (Carassius auratus) following exposure to different dose of virgin microplastics. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 238:108862. [PMID: 32781290 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2020.108862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Goldfish (Carassius auratus) juveniles were exposed to virgin polyvinyl chloride microplastics (PVC-MPs) in triplicate at 0, 0.1 or 0.5 mg/L for four days. Afterwards, the histopathology of the gills, liver and intestines were examined, along with various antioxidant enzymes and indicators of oxidative damage (malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)), in the brain, liver and gills. In addition, we also studied the expression of hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) and growth hormone (GH) receptor, while cortisol receptor (CR) and cytochrome P450 1A (CYP1A) gene expression were assayed in both the liver and gills. Histological analysis revealed PVC-MPs in the intestines at 0.1 and 0.5 mg/L, along with substantially shorter villi. The gills appeared undamaged by PVC-MPs exposure and had limited or no effect to antioxidant activity, Na+/K+-ATPase and H+-ATPase activity or plasma ion levels, but there was a prominent upsurge of the detoxification enzymes glutatione S-transferase (GST) activity and CYP1A expression. Livers showed inflammation and some occurrences of hemorrhaging and necrosis at 0.5 mg/L. While the brain showed some evidence of oxidative damage, the liver was the most susceptible to oxidative damage, based on increased MDA, H2O2 and various antioxidant enzymes. Hepatic expression of IGFBP-1 and GH receptor were significantly downregulated at 0.5 mg/L while CR was upregulated. Results indicate that exposure to environmentally relevant PVC-MP can cause oxidative damage in the brain and liver, adverse histomorphological changes to the intestine and liver and alter the gene expression in goldfish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Romano
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA.
| | - Nilima Renukdas
- Fish Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Lonoke, 72086, AR, USA
| | - Hayden Fischer
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA
| | - Jyotsna Shrivastava
- Fish Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Lonoke, 72086, AR, USA
| | - Kartik Baruah
- Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nathan Egnew
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA
| | - Amit Kumar Sinha
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA.
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15
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Lin LY, Zheng JA, Huang SC, Hung GY, Horng JL. Ammonia exposure impairs lateral-line hair cells and mechanotransduction in zebrafish embryos. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 257:127170. [PMID: 32497837 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.127170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia (including NH3 and NH4+) is a major pollutant of freshwater environments. However, the toxic effects of ammonia on the early stages of fish are not fully understood, and little is known about the effects on the sensory system. In this study, we hypothesized that ammonia exposure can cause adverse effects on embryonic development and impair the lateral line system of fish. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to high-ammonia water (10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mM NH4Cl; pH 7.0) for 96 h (0-96 h post-fertilization). The body length, heart rate, and otic vesicle size had significantly decreased with ≥15 mM NH4Cl, while the number and function of lateral-line hair cells had decreased with ≥10 mM NH4Cl. The mechanoelectrical transduction (MET) channel-mediated Ca2+ influx was measured with a scanning ion-selective microelectrode technique to reveal the function of hair cells. We found that NH4+ (≥5 mM NH4Cl) entered hair cells and suppressed the Ca2+ influx of hair cells. Neomycin and La3+ (MET channel blockers) suppressed NH4+ influx, suggesting that NH4+ enters hair cells via MET channels in hair bundles. In conclusion, this study showed that ammonia exposure (≥10 mM NH4Cl) can cause adverse effects in zebrafish embryos, and lateral-line hair cells are sensitive to ammonia exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li-Yih Lin
- Department of Life Science, School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan
| | - Jie-An Zheng
- Department of Life Science, School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan
| | - Shun-Chih Huang
- Department of Life Science, School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, 11677, Taiwan
| | - Giun-Yi Hung
- Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, 11217, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, 11221, Taiwan
| | - Jiun-Lin Horng
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan.
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16
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Sunga J, Wilson JM, Wilkie MP. Functional re-organization of the gills of metamorphosing sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus): preparation for a blood diet and the freshwater to seawater transition. J Comp Physiol B 2020; 190:701-715. [PMID: 32852575 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-020-01305-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Revised: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) begin life as filter-feeding larvae (ammocoetes) before undergoing a complex metamorphosis into parasitic juveniles, which migrate to the sea where they feed on the blood of large-bodied fishes. The greater protein intake during this phase results in marked increases in the production of nitrogenous wastes (N-waste), which are excreted primarily via the gills. However, it is unknown how gill structure and function change during metamorphosis and how it is related to modes of ammonia excretion, nor do we have a good understanding of how the sea lamprey's transition from fresh water (FW) to sea water (SW) affects patterns and mechanisms of N-waste excretion in relation to ionoregulation. Using immunohistochemistry, we related changes in the gill structure of larval, metamorphosing, and juvenile sea lampreys to their patterns of ammonia excretion (Jamm) and urea excretion (Jurea) in FW, and following FW to artificial seawater (ASW) transfer. Rates of Jamm and Jurea were low in larval sea lamprey and increased in feeding juvenile, parasitic sea lamprey. In freshwater-dwelling ammocoetes, immunohistochemical analysis revealed that Rhesus glycoprotein C-like protein (Rhcg-like) was diffusely distributed on the lamellar epithelium, but following metamorphosis, Rhcg-like protein was restricted to SW mitochondrion-rich cells (MRCs; ionocytes) between the gill lamellae. Notably, these interlamellar Rhcg-like proteins co-localized with Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA), which increased in expression and activity by almost tenfold during metamorphosis. The distribution of V-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) on the lamellae decreased following metamorphosis, indicating it may have a more important role in acid-base regulation and Na+ uptake in FW, compared to SW. We conclude that the re-organization of the sea lamprey gill during metamorphosis not only plays a critical role in allowing them to cope with greater salinity following the FW-SW transition, but that it simultaneously reflects fundamental changes in methods used to excrete ammonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Sunga
- Department of Biology and Laurier Institute for Water Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Jonathan M Wilson
- Department of Biology and Laurier Institute for Water Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Michael P Wilkie
- Department of Biology and Laurier Institute for Water Science, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3C5, Canada.
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17
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Zimmer AM, Perry SF. The Rhesus glycoprotein Rhcgb is expendable for ammonia excretion and Na + uptake in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 247:110722. [PMID: 32437959 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
In zebrafish (Danio rerio), the ammonia-transporting Rhesus glycoprotein Rhcgb is implicated in mechanisms of ammonia excretion and Na+ uptake. In particular, Rhcgb is thought to play an important role in maintaining ammonia excretion in response to alkaline conditions and high external ammonia (HEA) exposure, in addition to facilitating Na+ uptake via a functional metabolon with the Na+/H+-exchanger Nhe3b, specifically under low Na+ conditions. In the present study, we hypothesized that CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of rhcgb would reduce ammonia excretion and Na+ uptake capacity, particularly under the conditions listed above that have elicited increases in Rhcgb-mediated ammonia excretion and/or Na+ uptake. Contrary to this hypothesis, however, larval and juvenile rhcgb knockout (KO) mutants showed no reductions in ammonia excretion or Na+ uptake under any of the conditions tested in our study. In fact, under control conditions, rhcgb KO mutants generally displayed an increase in ammonia excretion, potentially due to increased transcript abundance of another rh gene, rhbg. Under alkaline conditions, rhcgb KO mutants were also able to maintain ammonia excretion, similar to wild-type fish, and stimulation of ammonia excretion after HEA exposure also was not affected by rhcgb KO. Surprisingly, ammonia excretion and Na+ uptake were unaffected by rhcgb or nhe3b KO in juvenile zebrafish acclimated to normal (800 μmol/L) or low (10 μmol/L) Na+ conditions. These results demonstrate that Rhcgb is expendable for ammonia excretion and Na+ uptake in zebrafish, highlighting the plasticity and flexibility of these physiological systems in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Zimmer
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Steve F Perry
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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18
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Eom J, Fehsenfeld S, Wood CM. Is ammonia excretion affected by gill ventilation in the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss? Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2020; 275:103385. [DOI: 10.1016/j.resp.2020.103385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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19
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Tseng YC, Yan JJ, Furukawa F, Hwang PP. Did Acidic Stress Resistance in Vertebrates Evolve as Na + /H + Exchanger-Mediated Ammonia Excretion in Fish? Bioessays 2020; 42:e1900161. [PMID: 32163625 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
How vertebrates evolved different traits for acid excretion to maintain body fluid pH homeostasis is largely unknown. The evolution of Na+ /H+ exchanger (NHE)-mediated NH4 + excretion in fishes is reported, and the coevolution with increased ammoniagenesis and accompanying gluconeogenesis is speculated to benefit vertebrates in terms of both internal homeostasis and energy metabolism response to acidic stress. The findings provide new insights into our understanding of the possible adaptation of fishes to progressing global environmental acidification. In human kidney, titratable H+ and NH4 + comprise the two main components of net acid excretion. V-type H+ -ATPase-mediated H+ excretion may have developed in stenohaline lampreys when they initially invaded freshwater from marine habitats, but this trait is lost in most fishes. Instead, increased reliance on NHE-mediated NH4 + excretion is gradually developed and intensified during fish evolution. Further investigations on more species will be needed to support the hypothesis. Also see the video abstract here https://youtu.be/vZuObtfm-34.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Che Tseng
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Jia-Jiun Yan
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - Fumiya Furukawa
- Kitasato University, School of Marine Biosciences, Tokyo, 2520373, Japan
| | - Pung-Pung Hwang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
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20
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Malakpour Kolbadinezhad S, Coimbra J, Wilson JM. Is the dendritic organ of the striped eel catfish Plotosus lineatus an ammonia excretory organ? Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 241:110640. [PMID: 31870932 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2019.110640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Revised: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The dendritic organ (DO) is a salt secretory organ in the Plotosidae marine catfishes. The potential role of the DO in ammonia excretion was investigated by examining the effects of salinity [brackishwater (BW 3‰), seawater (SW 34‰) and hypersaline water (HSW 60‰)] acclimation and DO ligation on ammonia excretion and ammonia transporter expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunoblotting (IB) and qPCR. Ammonia flux rates (JAmm) were significantly lower in BW compared to SW and HSW. DO ligation resulted in a significantly lower JAmm in SW but not BW fish. IHC demonstrated apical and basolateral localization of Rhesus-associated glycoprotein (Rhag-like) and Rhbg-like proteins, respectively, in parenchymal cells of the DO acini. In the gills, which are the primary site of ammonia excretion in teleost fishes, IHC showed an apical localization of Rhag-like protein in some Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) immunoreactive (IR) cells limited to a few interlamellar regions of the filament and, in both apical and basolateral membranes of pillar cells irrespective of treatment group. In gills, the distribution of NKA-IR cells showed no salinity and/or ligation dependency. IB of Rhag and Rhbg-like proteins was found only in the gills and expression levels did not change with salinity but ligation in BW decreased Rhbg-like levels. Although Rhcg was not detected with heterologous antibodies, rhcg1 mRNA expression was detected in both gills and DO. HSW was associated with the lowest expression in DO and ligations in SW and BW were without effect on branchial expression levels. Taken together these results indicate the DO potentially has a physiological role in ammonia excretion under SW conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salman Malakpour Kolbadinezhad
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Coldwater Fisheries Research Center (CFRC), Iranian Fisheries Sciences Research Institute (IFSRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Tonekabon, Iran.
| | - João Coimbra
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Jonathan M Wilson
- Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental (CIIMAR/CIMAR), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada.
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21
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Wang Y, Pasparakis C, Stieglitz JD, Benetti DD, Grosell M. The effects of Deepwater Horizon crude oil on ammonia and urea handling in mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) early life stages. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2019; 216:105294. [PMID: 31585273 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.105294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many ecologically important fishes, including mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), and their offspring were directly exposed to crude oil following the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. Early life stage fish are especially vulnerable to the toxicity of crude oil-derived polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In teleosts, yolk sac proteins are the main energy source during development and are usually catabolized into ammonia or urea among other byproducts. Although excretion of these waste products is sensitive to oil exposure, we know little about the underlying mechanisms of this process. In this study, we examined the effects of crude oil on ammonia and urea handling in the early life stages of mahi. Mahi embryos exposed to 30-32 μg L-1 ∑PAH exhibited increased urea excretion rates and greater accumulation of urea in the tissues before hatch suggesting that ammonia, which is highly toxic, was converted into less-toxic urea. Oil-exposed embryos (6.3-32 μg L-1 ∑PAH) displayed significantly increased tissue ammonia levels at 42 hpf and upregulated mRNA levels of ammonia transporters (Rhag, Rhbg and Rhcg1) from 30 to 54 hpf. However, despite increased accumulation and higher expression of ammonia transporters, the larvae exposed to higher ∑PAH (30 μg L-1 ∑PAH) showed reduced ammonia excretion rates after hatch. Together, the increased production of nitrogenous waste reinforces previous work that increased energy demand in oil-exposed embryos is fueled, at least in part, by protein metabolism and that urea synthesis plays a role in ammonia detoxification in oil-exposed mahi embryos. To our knowledge, this study is the first to combine physiological and molecular approaches to assess the impact of crude-oil on both nitrogenous waste excretion and accumulation in the early life stages of any teleosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wang
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States.
| | - C Pasparakis
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - J D Stieglitz
- Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society, RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - D D Benetti
- Department of Marine Ecosystems and Society, RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - M Grosell
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
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22
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Effect of salinity and temperature on the expression of genes involved in branchial ion transport processes in European sea bass. J Therm Biol 2019; 85:102422. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2019.102422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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23
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Wang Y, Pasparakis C, Mager EM, Stieglitz JD, Benetti D, Grosell M. Ontogeny of urea and ammonia transporters in mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) early life stages. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2019; 229:18-24. [PMID: 30503629 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2018.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism(s) of ammonia and urea excretion in freshwater fish have received considerable attention; however, parallel investigations of seawater fish, specifically in the early life stages are scarce. The first objective of this study was to evaluate the patterns of ammonia and urea excretion in mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) up to 102 hours post fertilization (hpf). Similar to other teleosts, mahi embryos are ureotelic before hatch and gradually switch to being ammoniotelic around the time of hatch. The second objective was to characterize mRNA levels of ammonia transporters (Rhag, Rhbg, Rhcg1 and Rhcg2), as well as urea transporter (UT) and sodium hydrogen exchangers (NHE3 and NHE2) during mahi development. As predicted, the mRNA levels of the Rhesus glycoprotein (Rh) genes, especially Rhag, Rhbg and the UT gene were highly consistent with the ontogeny of ammonia and urea excretion rates. Further, the localization of each transporter was examined in larvae collected at 60 and 102 hpf using in situ hybridization. Rhag was expressed in the gills, yolk sac, and operculum. Rhbg was expressed in the gills and upper mouth. Rhcg1 and NHE3 were co-localized in the sub-operculum, and Rhcg2 was expressed in the skin. Together, these results indicate that urea excretion is critical for ammonia detoxification during embryonic development and that Rh proteins are involved in ammonia excretion via gills and yolk sac, possibly facilitated by NHE3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Wang
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States.
| | - C Pasparakis
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - E M Mager
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States; Department of Biological Sciences & Advanced Environmental Research Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203, United States
| | - J D Stieglitz
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - D Benetti
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
| | - M Grosell
- RSMAS, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, United States
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24
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Egnew N, Renukdas N, Ramena Y, Yadav AK, Kelly AM, Lochmann RT, Sinha AK. Physiological insights into largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) survival during long-term exposure to high environmental ammonia. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2019; 207:72-82. [PMID: 30530206 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2018.11.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Waterborne ammonia is an environmental pollutant that is toxic to all aquatic animals. However, ammonia induced toxicity as well as compensatory mechanisms to defend against high environmental ammonia (HEA) are not well documented at present for largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), a high value fish for culture and sport fisheries in the United States. To provide primary information on the sensitivity of this species to ammonia toxicity, a 96 h-LC50 test was conducted. Thereafter, responses at physiological, ion-regulatory and transcript levels were determined to get insights into the underlying adaptive strategies to ammonia toxicity. For this purpose, fish were progressively exposed to HEA (8.31 mg/L representing 25% of 96 h-LC50) for 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Temporal effects of HEA on oxygen consumption rate (MO2), ammonia and urea dynamics, plasma ions (Na+, Cl- and K+), branchial Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) and H+-ATPase activity, muscle water content (MWC), energy store (glycogen, lipid and protein) as well as branchial mRNA expression of Rhesus (Rh) glycoproteins were assessed. Probit analysis showed that 96 h-LC50 of (total) ammonia (as NH4HCO3) at 25 °C and pH 7.8 was 33.24 mg/L. Results from sub-lethal end-points shows that ammonia excretion rate (Jamm) was strongly inhibited after 7 days of HEA, but was unaffected at 3, 14 and 21 days. At 28 days fish were able to increase Jamm efficiently and concurrently, plasma ammonia re-established to the basal level. Urea production was increased as evidenced by a considerable elevation of plasma urea, but urea excretion rate remained unaltered. Expression of Rhcg isoform (Rhcg2) mRNA was up-regulated in parallel with restored or increased Jamm, suggesting its ammonia excreting role in largemouth bass. Exposure to HEA also displayed pronounced augmentations in NKA activity, exemplified by a rise in plasma [Na+]. Furthermore, [K+], [Cl-] and MWC homeostasis were disrupted followed by recovery to the control levels. H+-ATPase activity was elevated but NKA did not appear to function preferentially as a Na+/NH4+-ATPase. From 14 days onwards MO2 was depressed, potentially an attempt towards minimizing catabolism. Glycogen content in liver and muscle were temporarily depleted, whereas a remarkable increment in protein was evident at the last exposure period. Overall, these data suggest that ammonia induced toxicity can disturb several biological processes in largemouth bass, however, it can adapt to the long-term sub-lethal ammonia concentrations by activating various components of ammonia excretory, ion-regulatory and metabolic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Egnew
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA.
| | - Nilima Renukdas
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA
| | - Yathish Ramena
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA; Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp Cooperative, Inc., 1750 W 2450 S, Ogden, 84401, UT, USA
| | - Amit K Yadav
- Aquaculture Research Institute, Department of Animal and Veterinary Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, 83844, ID, USA
| | - Anita M Kelly
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA
| | - Rebecca T Lochmann
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA
| | - Amit Kumar Sinha
- Department of Aquaculture and Fisheries, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff, 71601, AR, USA.
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25
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You X, Chen J, Bian C, Yi Y, Ruan Z, Li J, Zhang X, Yu H, Xu J, Shi Q. Transcriptomic evidence of adaptive tolerance to high environmental ammonia in mudskippers. Genomics 2018; 110:404-413. [PMID: 30261316 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2018.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2017] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Mudskippers are typical amphibious fishes and possess various strategies to ameliorate ammonia toxicity during exposure to environmental ammonia. The present study aimed to provide transcriptomic evidence through profiling the gill and liver transcriptomes of Boleophthalmus pectinirostris (BP) and Periophthalmus magnuspinnatus (PM), which were subjected to treatment with high environmental ammonia for up to 72 h. The results of gene function annotation showed that most of the differentially expressed genes were involved in metabolic pathways. After ammonia exposure, the protein and amino acid metabolism related genes in mudskippers were down-regulated, and PM had more down-regulated genes than BP. The expression levels of several representative genes involved in ammonia excretion in the gill were commonly increased. Interestingly, NH4+ transporting and H+ excreting related genes, including Na+/K+(NH4+)/2Cl- cotransporter (nkcc), Na+/K+(NH4+)-ATPase (nka), carbonic anhydrase 2 (ca2), H+-ATPase, Na+/H+ (NH4+)-exchanger (nhe), and carbonic anhydrase 15 (ca15), were up-regulated more significantly in BP than PM; however, the transcription levels of Rhesus glucoprotein b (Rhbg) and Rhesus glucoprotein c1 (Rhcg1), which constitute the NH3 transporting channels, were up-regulated more significantly in PM than BP. Furthermore, the present study provides molecular evidence for how mudskippers adopt partial amino acid catabolism to decrease the production of endogenous ammonia under high environmental ammonia loading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin You
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Jieming Chen
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chao Bian
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yunhai Yi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhiqiang Ruan
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jia Li
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xinhui Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hui Yu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China
| | - Junmin Xu
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China; BGI Zhenjiang Institute of Hydrobiology, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Qiong Shi
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Molecular Breeding in Marine Economic Animals, BGI Academy of Marine Sciences, BGI Marine, BGI, Shenzhen, China; BGI Zhenjiang Institute of Hydrobiology, Zhenjiang, China; Laboratory of Aquatic Genomics, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China.
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26
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Fehsenfeld S, Wood CM. Section-specific expression of acid-base and ammonia transporters in the kidney tubules of the goldfish Carassius auratus and their responses to feeding. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 2018; 315:F1565-F1582. [PMID: 30089033 DOI: 10.1152/ajprenal.00510.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In teleost fishes, renal contributions to acid-base and ammonia regulation are often neglected compared with the gills. In goldfish, increased renal acid excretion in response to feeding was indicated by increased urine ammonia and inorganic phosphate concentrations and decreased urine pH. By microdissecting the kidney tubules and performing quantitative real-time PCR and/or immunohistochemistry, we profiled the section-specific expression of glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), glutamine synthetase (GS), Na+/H+-exchanger 3 (NHE3), carbonic anhydrase II (CAIIa), V-H+-ATPase subunit 1b, Cl-/ HCO3- -exchanger 1 (AE1), Na+/ HCO3- -cotransporter 1 (NBC1), Na+/K+-ATPase subunit 1α, and Rhesus-proteins Rhbg, Rhcg1a, and Rhcg1b. Here, we show for the first time that 1) the proximal tubule appears to be the major site for ammoniagenesis, 2) epithelial transporters are differentially expressed along the renal tubule, and 3) a potential feeding-related "acidic tide" results in the differential regulation of epithelial transporters, resembling the mammalian renal response to a metabolic acidosis. Specifically, GDH and NHE3 mRNAs were upregulated and GS downregulated in the proximal tubule upon feeding, suggesting this section as a major site for ammoniagenesis and acid secretion. The distal tubule may play a major role in renal ammonia secretion, with feeding-induced upregulation of mRNA and protein for apical NHE3, cytoplasmic CAIIa, universal Rhcg1a and apical Rhcg1b, and downregulation of basolateral Rhbg and AE1. Changes in mRNA expression of the Wolffian ducts and bladder suggest supporting roles in fine-tuning urine composition. The present study verifies an important renal contribution to acid-base balance and emphasizes that studies looking at the whole kidney may overlook key section-specific responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Fehsenfeld
- University of British Columbia, Department of Zoology , Vancouver , Canada
| | - Chris M Wood
- University of British Columbia, Department of Zoology , Vancouver , Canada
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27
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Zimmer AM, Wright PA, Wood CM. Ammonia and urea handling by early life stages of fishes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:3843-3855. [PMID: 29093184 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.140210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen metabolism in fishes has been a focus of comparative physiologists for nearly a century. In this Review, we focus specifically on early life stages of fishes, which have received considerable attention in more recent work. Nitrogen metabolism and excretion in early life differs fundamentally from that of juvenile and adult fishes because of (1) the presence of a chorion capsule in embryos that imposes a limitation on effective ammonia excretion, (2) an amino acid-based metabolism that generates a substantial ammonia load, and (3) the lack of a functional gill, which is the primary site of nitrogen excretion in juvenile and adult fishes. Recent findings have shed considerable light on the mechanisms by which these constraints are overcome in early life. Perhaps most importantly, the discovery of Rhesus (Rh) glycoproteins as ammonia transporters and their expression in ion-transporting cells on the skin of larval fishes has transformed our understanding of ammonia excretion by fishes in general. The emergence of larval zebrafish as a model species, together with genetic knockdown techniques, has similarly advanced our understanding of ammonia and urea metabolism and excretion by larval fishes. It has also now been demonstrated that ammonia excretion is one of the primary functions of the developing gill in rainbow trout larvae, leading to new hypotheses regarding the physiological demands driving gill development in larval fishes. Here, we highlight and discuss the dramatic changes in nitrogen handling that occur over early life development in fishes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Zimmer
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N57
| | - Patricia A Wright
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1
| | - Chris M Wood
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.,Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
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28
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Silveira TLR, Domingues WB, Remião MH, Santos L, Barreto B, Lessa IM, Varela Junior AS, Martins Pires D, Corcini C, Collares T, Seixas FK, Robaldo RB, Campos VF. Evaluation of Reference Genes to Analyze Gene Expression in Silverside Odontesthes humensis Under Different Environmental Conditions. Front Genet 2018; 9:75. [PMID: 29593778 PMCID: PMC5861154 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Some mammalian reference genes, which are widely used to normalize the qRT-PCR, could not be used for this purpose due to its high expression variation. The normalization with false reference genes leads to misinterpretation of results. The silversides (Odontesthes spp.) has been used as models for evolutionary, osmoregulatory and environmental pollution studies but, up to now, there are no studies about reference genes in any Odontesthes species. Furthermore, many studies on silversides have used reference genes without previous validations. Thus, present study aimed to was to clone and sequence potential reference genes, thereby identifying the best ones in Odontesthes humensis considering different tissues, ages and conditions. For this purpose, animals belonging to three ages (adults, juveniles, and immature) were exposed to control, Roundup®, and seawater treatments for 24 h. Blood samples were subjected to flow-cytometry and other collected tissues to RNA extraction; cDNA synthesis; molecular cloning; DNA sequencing; and qRT-PCR. The candidate genes tested included 18s, actb, ef1a, eif3g, gapdh, h3a, atp1a, and tuba. Gene expression results were analyzed using five algorithms that ranked the candidate genes. The flow-cytometry data showed that the environmental challenges could trigger a systemic response in the treated fish. Even during this systemic physiological disorder, the consensus analysis of gene expression revealed h3a to be the most stable gene expression when only the treatments were considered. On the other hand, tuba was the least stable gene in the control and gapdh was the least stable in both Roundup® and seawater groups. In conclusion, the consensus analyses of different tissues, ages, and treatments groups revealed that h3a is the most stable gene whereas gapdh and tuba are the least stable genes, even being considered two constitutive genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony L R Silveira
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - William B Domingues
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Mariana H Remião
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Lucas Santos
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Bruna Barreto
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Ingrid M Lessa
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | | | | | - Carine Corcini
- Veterinary Faculty, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Tiago Collares
- Laboratory of Cancer Biotechnology, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Fabiana K Seixas
- Laboratory of Cancer Biotechnology, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Ricardo B Robaldo
- Laboratory of Physiology, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
| | - Vinicius F Campos
- Laboratory of Structural Genomics, Biotechnology Graduate Program, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, Brazil
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29
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Adlimoghaddam A, O’Donnell MJ, Quijada-Rodriguez A, Weihrauch D. Sodium–hydrogen exchangers in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: investigations towards their potential role in hypodermal H+ excretion, Na+ uptake, and ammonia excretion, as well as acid–base balance. CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Cation/proton exchangers of the cation proton antiporter 1 (CPA1) subfamily (NHEs, SLC 9) play an important role in many physiological processes, including cell volume regulation, acid–base homeostasis, and ammonia excretion. The soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Maupas, 1900) (N2, 1968) expresses nine paralogues (NHX-1 to NHX-9). The current study was undertaken to investigate the role of the cation/proton exchanger in hypodermal Na+ and H+ fluxes, as well in ammonia excretion processes. Measurements using SIET (scanning ion-selective electrode technique) showed that the hypodermis promotes H+ secretion and Na+ uptake. Inhibitory effects on fluxes were observed upon application of amiloride but not EIPA, suggesting that NHXs are not involved in the transport processes. In response to stress induced by starvation or exposure to 1 mmol·L−1 NH4Cl, pH 5.5, or pH 8.0, body pH stayed fairly constant, with changes in mRNA expression levels detected in intestinal NHX-2 and hypodermal NHX-3. In conclusion, the study suggest that hypodermal apically localized EIPA-sensitive Na+/H+ exchangers do not likely play a role in ammonia excretion and Na+ uptake in the hypodermis of C. elegans, whereas apical amiloride-sensitive Na+ channels seem to be involved not just in hypodermal Na+ uptake but indirectly also in NH4+ and H+ excretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Adlimoghaddam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
| | | | | | - Dirk Weihrauch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
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30
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Chen XL, Zhang B, Chng YR, Ong JLY, Chew SF, Wong WP, Lam SH, Nakada T, Ip YK. Ammonia exposure affects the mRNA and protein expression levels of certain Rhesus glycoproteins in the gills of climbing perch. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 220:2916-2931. [PMID: 28576822 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.157123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The freshwater climbing perch, Anabas testudineus, is an obligate air-breathing and euryhaline teleost capable of active ammonia excretion and tolerant of high concentrations of environmental ammonia. As Rhesus glycoproteins (RhGP/Rhgp) are known to transport ammonia, this study aimed to obtain the complete cDNA coding sequences of various rhgp isoforms from the gills of A. testudineus, and to determine their mRNA and protein expression levels during 6 days of exposure to 100 mmol l-1 NH4Cl. The subcellular localization of Rhgp isoforms in the branchial epithelium was also examined in order to elucidate the type of ionocyte involved in active ammonia excretion. Four rhgp (rhag, rhbg, rhcg1 and rhcg2) had been identified from the gills of A. testudineus They had conserved amino acid residues for NH4+ binding, NH4+ deprotonation, channel gating and lining of the vestibules. Despite inwardly directed NH3 and NH4+ gradients, there were significant increases in the mRNA expression levels of the four branchial rhgp in A. testudineus at certain time points during 6 days of ammonia exposure, with significant increases in the protein abundances of Rhag and Rhcg2 on day 6. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a type of ammonia-inducible Na+/K+-ATPase α1c-immunoreactive ionocyte with apical Rhag and basolateral Rhcg2 in the gills of fish exposed to ammonia for 6 days. Hence, active ammonia excretion may involve NH4+ entering the ionocyte through the basolateral Rhcg2 and being excreted through the apical Rhag, driven by a transapical membrane electrical potential generated by the apical cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator Cl- channel, as suggested previously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu L Chen
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Biyan Zhang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - You R Chng
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jasmine L Y Ong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shit F Chew
- Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore 637616, Republic of Singapore
| | - Wai P Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
| | - Siew H Lam
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore.,NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117411, Republic of Singapore
| | - Tsutomu Nakada
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
| | - Yuen K Ip
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore
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31
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Allmon EB, Esbaugh AJ. Carbon dioxide induced plasticity of branchial acid-base pathways in an estuarine teleost. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45680. [PMID: 28378831 PMCID: PMC5381225 DOI: 10.1038/srep45680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic CO2 is expected to drive ocean pCO2 above 1,000 μatm by 2100 – inducing respiratory acidosis in fish that must be corrected through branchial ion transport. This study examined the time course and plasticity of branchial metabolic compensation in response to varying levels of CO2 in an estuarine fish, the red drum, which regularly encounters elevated CO2 and may therefore have intrinsic resilience. Under control conditions fish exhibited net base excretion; however, CO2 exposure resulted in a dose dependent increase in acid excretion during the initial 2 h. This returned to baseline levels during the second 2 h interval for exposures up to 5,000 μatm, but remained elevated for exposures above 15,000 μatm. Plasticity was assessed via gene expression in three CO2 treatments: environmentally realistic 1,000 and 6,000 μatm exposures, and a proof-of-principle 30,000 μatm exposure. Few differences were observed at 1,000 or 6,000 μatm; however, 30,000 μatm stimulated widespread up-regulation. Translocation of V-type ATPase after 1 h of exposure to 30,000 μatm was also assessed; however, no evidence of translocation was found. These results indicate that red drum can quickly compensate to environmentally relevant acid-base disturbances using baseline cellular machinery, yet are capable of plasticity in response to extreme acid-base challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth B Allmon
- University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA
| | - Andrew J Esbaugh
- University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA
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32
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Yeam CT, Chng YR, Ong JLY, Wong WP, Chew SF, Ip YK. Molecular characterization of two Rhesus glycoproteins from the euryhaline freshwater white-rimmed stingray, Himantura signifer, and changes in their transcript levels and protein abundance in the gills, kidney, and liver during brackish water acclimation. J Comp Physiol B 2017; 187:911-929. [PMID: 28324156 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-017-1067-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2016] [Revised: 02/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Himantura signifer is a freshwater stingray which inhabits rivers in Southeast Asia. It is ammonotelic in fresh water, but retains the capacities of urea synthesis and ureosmotic osmoregulation to survive in brackish water. This study aimed to elucidate the roles of Rhesus glycoproteins (Rhgp), which are known to transport ammonia, in conserving nitrogen (N) in H. signifer during brackish water acclimation when N became limited resulting from increased hepatic urea synthesis. The complete coding sequence of rhbg from H. signifer consisted of 1383 bp, encoding 460 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 50.5 kDa, while that of rhcg comprised 1395 bp, encoding for 464 amino acids with an estimated molecular mass of 50.8 kDa. The deduced amino sequences of Rhbg and Rhcg contained ammonia binding sites, which could recruit NH4+ to be deprotonated, and a hydrophobic pore with two histidine residues, which could mediate the transport of NH3. Our results indicated for the first time that brackish water acclimation resulted in significant decreases in the expression levels of rhbg/Rhbg and rhcg/Rhcg in the gills of H. signifer, which offered a mechanistic explanation of brackish water-related decreased ammonia excretion reported elsewhere. Furthermore, rhbg/Rhbg expression levels increased significantly in the liver of H. signifer during brackish water acclimation, indicating that the ammonia produced by extra-hepatic tissues and released into the blood could be channeled into the liver for increased urea synthesis. Overall, these results lend support to the proposition that H. signifer becomes N-limited upon utilizing urea as an osmolyte in brackish water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng T Yeam
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - You R Chng
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Jasmine L Y Ong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Wai P Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117543, Singapore
| | - Shit F Chew
- Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Singapore
| | - Yuen K Ip
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 117543, Singapore. .,The Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Kent Ridge, Singapore, 119227, Singapore.
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Hu MY, Sung PH, Guh YJ, Lee JR, Hwang PP, Weihrauch D, Tseng YC. Perfused Gills Reveal Fundamental Principles of pH Regulation and Ammonia Homeostasis in the Cephalopod Octopus vulgaris. Front Physiol 2017; 8:162. [PMID: 28373845 PMCID: PMC5357659 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2016] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to terrestrial animals most aquatic species can be characterized by relatively higher blood [Formula: see text] concentrations despite its potential toxicity to the central nervous system. Although many aquatic species excrete [Formula: see text] via specialized epithelia little information is available regarding the mechanistic basis for NH3/[Formula: see text] homeostasis in molluscs. Using perfused gills of Octopus vulgaris we studied acid-base regulation and ammonia excretion pathways in this cephalopod species. The octopus gill is capable of regulating ammonia (NH3/[Formula: see text]) homeostasis by the accumulation of ammonia at low blood levels (<260 μM) and secretion at blood ammonia concentrations exceeding in vivo levels of 300 μM. [Formula: see text] transport is sensitive to the adenylyl cyclase inhibitor KH7 indicating that this process is mediated through cAMP-dependent pathways. The perfused octopus gill has substantial pH regulatory abilities during an acidosis, accompanied by an increased secretion of [Formula: see text]. Immunohistochemical and qPCR analyses revealed tissue specific expression and localization of Na+/K+-ATPase, V-type H+-ATPase, Na+/H+-exchanger 3, and Rhesus protein in the gill. Using the octopus gill as a molluscan model, our results highlight the coupling of acid-base regulation and nitrogen excretion, which may represent a conserved pH regulatory mechanism across many marine taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Y Hu
- Institute of Physiology, University of KielKiel, Germany; Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia SinicaTaipei, Taiwan
| | - Po-Hsuan Sung
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Jey Guh
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jay-Ron Lee
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Pung-Pung Hwang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Dirk Weihrauch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Yung-Che Tseng
- Lab of Marine Organismic Physiology, Marine Research Station, Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica Taipei, Taiwan
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Blair S, Wilkie M, Edwards S. Rh glycoprotein immunoreactivity in the skin and its role in extrabranchial ammonia excretion by the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) in fresh water. CAN J ZOOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Aquatic organisms employ various strategies to excrete ammonia across the gills, skin, and (or) renal routes. During three different stages of their life cycle, we hypothesized that the basal vertebrate sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L., 1758) used the skin as a route for ammonia excretion. Measurements of ammonia excretion using divided flux chambers revealed that extrabranchial sites (skin plus renal) of ammonia excretion were quantitatively more important in larval sea lampreys, but following metamorphosis, the gills became the dominant route of excretion in juvenile sea lampreys. Despite the greater relative importance of the skin in the larval stage, Rh glycoprotein isoforms Rhbg, Rhcg1, and Rhcg2 were detected in the skin in all three sea lamprey life stages examined, but the patterns of expression were dependent on the life stage. We conclude that, during the relatively sedentary filter-feeding larval stage, extrabranchial routes play an equally important role as the gill in facilitating ammonia excretion. However, the gills by virtue of their extensive branchial vasculature become the dominant route of ammonia excretion following metamorphosis because of the need to offload greater amounts of ammonia arising from higher rates of basal ammonia production and the potential to excrete higher amounts of ammonia following ingestion of protein-rich blood in the parasitic stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.D. Blair
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - M.P. Wilkie
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5, Canada
- Department of Biology, Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB E4L 1G7, Canada
| | - S.L. Edwards
- Department of Biology, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA
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Thiel D, Hugenschütt M, Meyer H, Paululat A, Quijada-Rodriguez AR, Purschke G, Weihrauch D. Ammonia excretion in the marine polychaete Eurythoe complanata (Annelida). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 220:425-436. [PMID: 27852754 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.145615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Ammonia is a toxic waste product from protein metabolism and needs to be either converted into less toxic molecules or, in the case of fish and aquatic invertebrates, excreted directly as is. In contrast to fish, very little is known regarding the ammonia excretion mechanism and the participating excretory organs in marine invertebrates. In the current study, ammonia excretion in the marine burrowing polychaete Eurythoe complanata was investigated. As a potential site for excretion, the 100-200 µm long, 30-50 µm wide and up to 25 µm thick dentrically branched, well ventilated and vascularized branchiae (gills) were identified. In comparison to the main body, the branchiae showed considerably higher mRNA expression levels of Na+/K+-ATPase, V-type H+-ATPase, cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase (CA-2), a Rhesus-like protein, and three different ammonia transporters (AMTs). Experiments on the intact organism revealed that ammonia excretion did not occur via apical ammonia trapping, but was regulated by a basolateral localized V-type H+-ATPase, carbonic anhydrase and intracellular cAMP levels. Interestingly, the V-type H+-ATPase seems to play a role in ammonia retention. A 1 week exposure to 1 mmol l-1 NH4Cl (HEA) did not cause a change in ammonia excretion rates, while the three branchial expressed AMTs showed a tendency to be down-regulated. This indicates a shift of function in the branchial ammonia excretion processes under these conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Thiel
- University of Osnabrück, Fachbereich Biologie, Department of Zoology, Osnabrück 49069, Germany
| | - Maja Hugenschütt
- University of Osnabrück, Fachbereich Biologie, Department of Zoology, Osnabrück 49069, Germany
| | - Heiko Meyer
- University of Osnabrück, Fachbereich Biologie, Department of Zoology, Osnabrück 49069, Germany
| | - Achim Paululat
- University of Osnabrück, Fachbereich Biologie, Department of Zoology, Osnabrück 49069, Germany
| | | | - Günter Purschke
- University of Osnabrück, Fachbereich Biologie, Department of Zoology, Osnabrück 49069, Germany
| | - Dirk Weihrauch
- University of Manitoba, Department of Biological Sciences, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Shrivastava J, Sinha AK, Datta SN, Blust R, De Boeck G. Pre-acclimation to low ammonia improves ammonia handling in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) when exposed subsequently to high environmental ammonia. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2016; 180:334-344. [PMID: 27788451 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2016.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We tested whether exposing fish to low ammonia concentrations induced acclimation processes and helped fish to tolerate subsequent (sub)lethal ammonia exposure by activating ammonia excretory pathways. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were pre-exposed to 0.27mM ammonia (∼10% 96h LC50) for 3, 7 and 14days. Thereafter, each of these pre-exposed and parallel naïve groups were exposed to 1.35mM high environmental ammonia (HEA, ∼50% 96h LC50) for 12h and 48h to assess the occurrence of ammonia acclimation based on sub-lethal end-points, and to lethal ammonia concentrations (2.7mM, 96h LC50) in order to assess improved survival time. Results show that fish pre-exposed to ammonia for 3 and 7days had a longer survival time than the ammonia naïve fish. However, this effect disappeared after prolonged (14days) pre-exposure. Ammonia excretion rate (Jamm) was strongly inhibited (or even reversed) in the unacclimated groups during HEA. On the contrary, after 3days the pre-exposure fish maintained Jamm while after 7days these pre-acclimated fish were able to increase Jamm efficiently. Again, this effect disappeared after 14days of pre-acclimation. The efficient ammonia efflux in pre-acclimated fish was associated with the up-regulation of branchial mRNA expression of ammonia transporters and exchangers. Pre-exposure with ammonia for 3-7days stimulated an increment in the transcript level of gill Rhcg-a and Rhcg-b mRNA relative to the naïve control group and the up-regulation of these two Rhcg homologs was reinforced during subsequent HEA exposure. No effect of pre-exposure was noted for Rhbg. Relative to unacclimated fish, the transcript level of Na+/H+ exchangers (NHE-3) was raised in 3-7days pre-acclimated fish and remained higher during the subsequent HEA exposure while gill H+-ATPase activities and mRNA levels were not affected by pre-acclimation episodes. Likewise, ammonia pre-acclimated fish with or without HEA exposure displayed pronounced up-regulation in Na+/K+-ATPase activity and mRNA expression relative to the corresponding ammonia naïve groups. Overall, these data suggest that ammonia acclimation was evident for both lethal and the sub-lethal endpoints through priming mechanisms in ammonia excretory transcriptional processes, but these acclimation effects were transient and disappeared after prolonged pre-exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyotsna Shrivastava
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Amit Kumar Sinha
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 1200 North University Drive, Pine Bluff - 71601, AR, USA.
| | - Surjya Narayan Datta
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Fisheries Resource Management, College of Fisheries, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana - 141004, India
| | - Ronny Blust
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gudrun De Boeck
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
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Wood CM, Giacomin M. Feeding through your gills and turning a toxicant into a resource: how the dogfish shark scavenges ammonia from its environment. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3218-3226. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.145268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Nitrogen (N) appears to be a limiting dietary resource for elasmobranchs, required not only for protein growth but also for urea-based osmoregulation. Building on recent evidence that the toxicant ammonia can be taken up actively at the gills of the shark and made into the valuable osmolyte urea, we demonstrate that the uptake exhibits classic Michaelis–Menten saturation kinetics with an affinity constant (Km) of 379 µmol l−1, resulting in net N retention at environmentally realistic ammonia concentrations (100–400 µmol l−1) and net N loss through stimulated urea-N excretion at higher levels. Ammonia-N uptake rate increased or decreased with alterations in seawater pH, but the changes were much less than predicted by the associated changes in seawater PNH3, and more closely paralleled changes in seawater NH4+ concentration. Ammonia-N uptake rate was insensitive to amiloride (0.1 mmol l−1) or to a 10-fold elevation in seawater K+ concentration (to 100 mmol l−1), suggesting that the mechanism does not directly involve Na+ or K+ transporters, but was inhibited by blockade of glutamine synthetase, the enzyme that traps ammonia-N to fuel the ornithine–urea cycle. High seawater ammonia inhibited uptake of the ammonia analogue [14C]methylamine. The results suggest that branchial ammonia-N uptake may significantly supplement dietary N intake, amounting to about 31% of the nitrogen acquired from the diet. They further indicate the involvement of Rh glycoproteins (ammonia channels), which are expressed in dogfish gills, in normal ammonia-N uptake and retention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris M. Wood
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, BC, Canada V0R 1B0
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
| | - Marina Giacomin
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, BC, Canada V0R 1B0
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
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Nitrogen metabolism in tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), a neotropical model teleost: hypoxia, temperature, exercise, feeding, fasting, and high environmental ammonia. J Comp Physiol B 2016; 187:135-151. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1027-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Bucking C. A broader look at ammonia production, excretion, and transport in fish: a review of impacts of feeding and the environment. J Comp Physiol B 2016; 187:1-18. [PMID: 27522221 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-016-1026-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
For nearly a century, researchers have studied ammonia production and excretion in teleost fish. Stemming from past investigations a body of knowledge now exists on various aspects including biochemical mechanisms of ammonia formation and specific routes and tissues used for ammonia transport, culminating in a current detailed theoretical model of branchial transport, including the molecular identities of the moieties involved. However, typical studies examining ammonia balance use routine laboratory conditions and fasted fish. While avoiding additional variables that influence nitrogen balance, these studies are arguably idealistic and do not reflect the natural variety of conditions that fish encounter. Further studies have revealed the impacts of extrinsic factors (e.g. salinity, pH, temperature) on ammonia handling in fasted fish whereas others have explored intrinsic factors, such as life history and developmental impacts. One routine challenge for ammonia balance that fish encounter is feeding and digestion. Fortunately, many new studies have revealed the impact of feeding and digestion on several aspects of ammonia balance; from production to excretion and to transport, and several have done so incorporating supplemental extrinsic and/or intrinsic factors. Together, these complex studies reveal realistic responses to multifactorial challenges encountered by animals in the wild and begin to provide a holistic view of ammonia balance in freshwater teleost fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol Bucking
- Department of Biology, Farquharson Life Science Building, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada.
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Sinha AK, Kapotwe M, Dabi SB, Montes CDS, Shrivastava J, Blust R, Boeck GD. Differential modulation of ammonia excretion, Rhesus glycoproteins and ion-regulation in common carp (Cyprinus carpio) following individual and combined exposure to waterborne copper and ammonia. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2016; 170:129-141. [PMID: 26655657 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2015.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2015] [Revised: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 11/19/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to understand the mode of interaction between waterborne copper (Cu) and high environmental ammonia (HEA) exposure on freshwater fish, and how they influence the toxicity of each other when present together. For this purpose, individual and combined effects of Cu and HEA were examined on selected physiological and ion-regulatory processes and changes at transcript level in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Juvenile carp were exposed to 2.6μM Cu (25% of the 96h LC50value) and to 0.65mM ammonia (25% of the 96h LC50value) singly and as a mixture for 12h, 24h, 48h, 84h and 180h. Responses such as ammonia (Jamm) and urea (Jurea) excretion rate, plasma ammonia and urea, plasma ions (Na(+), Cl(-) and K(+)), muscle water content (MWC) as well as branchial Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA) and H(+)-ATPase activity, and branchial mRNA expression of NKA, H(+)-ATPase, Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE-3) and Rhesus (Rh) glycoproteins were investigated under experimental conditions. Results show that Jamm was inhibited during Cu exposure, while HEA exposed fish were able to increase excretion efficiently. In the combined exposure, Jamm remained at the control levels indicating that Cu and HEA abolished each other's effect. Expression of Rhcg (Rhcg-a and Rhcg-b) mRNA was upregulated during HEA, thereby facilitated ammonia efflux out of gills. On the contrary, Rhcg-a transcript level declined following Cu exposure which might account for Cu induced Jamm inhibition. Likewise, Rhcg-a was also down-regulated in Cu-HEA co-exposed fish whilst a temporary increment was noted for Rhch-b. Fish exposed to HEA displayed pronounced up-regulation in NKA expression and activity and stable plasma ion levels. In both the Cu exposure alone and combined Cu-HEA exposure, ion-osmo homeostasis was adversely affected, exemplified by the significant reduction in plasma [Na(+)] and [Cl(-)], and elevated plasma [K(+)], along with an elevation in MWC. These changes were accompanied by a decline in NKA activity. Gill H(+)-ATPase mRNA levels and activities were not affected by either Cu or HEA or both. Likewise, NHE-3 expression remained unaltered but tended to be numerically higher during HEA exposure. Overall, these data suggest that at equitoxic concentrations (25% of 96h LC50), the individual effect of Cu is more harmful while HEA induces quicker adaptive responses. Our findings also denote a competitive mode of interaction, exemplified by the inhibition of HEA -mediated adaptive responses in the presence of Cu.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Sinha
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Mumba Kapotwe
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Shambel Boki Dabi
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Caroline da Silva Montes
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Laboratory of Immunohistochemical and Cellular Ultrastructure, Federal University of Para, Campus Guamá, Rua Augusto Corrêa 1, 66075-900, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Jyotsna Shrivastava
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ronny Blust
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Gudrun De Boeck
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, BE-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
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Adlimoghaddam A, Boeckstaens M, Marini AM, Treberg JR, Brassinga AKC, Weihrauch D. Ammonia excretion in Caenorhabditis elegans: mechanism and evidence of ammonia transport of the Rhesus protein CeRhr-1. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:675-83. [PMID: 25740900 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.111856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The soil-dwelling nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a bacteriovorous animal, excreting the vast majority of its nitrogenous waste as ammonia (25.3±1.2 µmol gFW(-1) day(-1)) and very little urea (0.21±0.004 µmol gFW(-1) day(-1)). Although these roundworms have been used for decades as genetic model systems, very little is known about their strategy to eliminate the toxic waste product ammonia from their bodies into the environment. The current study provides evidence that ammonia is at least partially excreted via the hypodermis. Starvation reduced the ammonia excretion rates by more than half, whereas mRNA expression levels of the Rhesus protein CeRhr-2, V-type H(+)-ATPase (subunit A) and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (α-subunit) decreased correspondingly. Moreover, ammonia excretion rates were enhanced in media buffered to pH 5 and decreased at pH 9.5. Inhibitor experiments, combined with enzyme activity measurements and mRNA expression analyses, further suggested that the excretion mechanism involves the participation of the V-type H(+)-ATPase, carbonic anhydrase, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, and a functional microtubule network. These findings indicate that ammonia is excreted, not only by apical ammonia trapping, but also via vesicular transport and exocytosis. Exposure to 1 mmol l(-1) NH4Cl caused a 10-fold increase in body ammonia and a tripling of ammonia excretion rates. Gene expression levels of CeRhr-1 and CeRhr-2, V-ATPase and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase also increased significantly in response to 1 mmol l(-1) NH4Cl. Importantly, a functional expression analysis showed, for the first time, ammonia transport capabilities for CeRhr-1 in a phylogenetically ancient invertebrate system, identifying these proteins as potential functional precursors to the vertebrate ammonia-transporting Rh-glycoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Adlimoghaddam
- Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T2N2
| | - Mélanie Boeckstaens
- Biology of Membrane Transport, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet 12, Gosselies 6041, Belgium
| | - Anna-Maria Marini
- Biology of Membrane Transport, IBMM, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Rue des Professeurs Jeener et Brachet 12, Gosselies 6041, Belgium
| | - Jason R Treberg
- Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T2N2 Faculty of Human Ecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T2N2
| | | | - Dirk Weihrauch
- Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T2N2
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Liew HJ, Fazio A, Faggio C, Blust R, De Boeck G. Cortisol affects metabolic and ionoregulatory responses to a different extent depending on feeding ration in common carp, Cyprinus carpio. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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Nawata CM, Walsh PJ, Wood CM. Physiological and molecular responses of the spiny dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias) to high environmental ammonia: scavenging for nitrogen. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 218:238-48. [PMID: 25609784 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.114967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In teleosts, a branchial metabolon links ammonia excretion to Na(+) uptake via Rh glycoproteins and other transporters. Ureotelic elasmobranchs are thought to have low branchial ammonia permeability, and little is known about Rh function in this ancient group. We cloned Rh cDNAs (Rhag, Rhbg and Rhp2) and evaluated gill ammonia handling in Squalus acanthias. Control ammonia excretion was <5% of urea-N excretion. Sharks exposed to high environmental ammonia (HEA; 1 mmol(-1) NH4HCO3) for 48 h exhibited active ammonia uptake against partial pressure and electrochemical gradients for 36 h before net excretion was re-established. Plasma total ammonia rose to seawater levels by 2 h, but dropped significantly below them by 24-48 h. Control ΔP(NH3) (the partial pressure gradient of NH3) across the gills became even more negative (outwardly directed) during HEA. Transepithelial potential increased by 30 mV, negating a parallel rise in the Nernst potential, such that the outwardly directed NH4(+) electrochemical gradient remained unchanged. Urea-N excretion was enhanced by 90% from 12 to 48 h, more than compensating for ammonia-N uptake. Expression of Rhp2 (gills, kidney) and Rhbg (kidney) did not change, but branchial Rhbg and erythrocytic Rhag declined during HEA. mRNA expression of branchial Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (NKA) increased at 24 h and that of H(+)-ATPase decreased at 48 h, while expression of the potential metabolon components Na(+)/H(+) exchanger2 (NHE2) and carbonic anhydrase IV (CA-IV) remained unchanged. We propose that the gill of this nitrogen-limited predator is poised not only to minimize nitrogen loss by low efflux permeability to urea and ammonia but also to scavenge ammonia-N from the environment during HEA to enhance urea-N synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Michele Nawata
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, 100 Pachena Road, Bamfield, BC, Canada V0R 1B0 Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street, West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1 Department of Physiology, University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Avenue Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Patrick J Walsh
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, 100 Pachena Road, Bamfield, BC, Canada V0R 1B0 Department of Biology and Centre for Advanced Research in Environmental Genomics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5
| | - Chris M Wood
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, 100 Pachena Road, Bamfield, BC, Canada V0R 1B0 Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street, West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1 Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, #4321-6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
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44
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Ren Q, Pan L, Zhao Q, Si L. Ammonia and urea excretion in the swimming crab Portunus trituberculatus exposed to elevated ambient ammonia-N. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2015; 187:48-54. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2015.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Revised: 03/30/2015] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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45
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Quijada-Rodriguez AR, Treberg JR, Weihrauch D. Mechanism of ammonia excretion in the freshwater leech Nephelopsis obscura: characterization of a primitive Rh protein and effects of high environmental ammonia. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2015; 309:R692-705. [PMID: 26180186 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00482.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Remarkably little is known about nitrogenous excretion in freshwater invertebrates. In the current study, the nitrogen excretion mechanism in the carnivorous ribbon leech, Nephelopsis obscura, was investigated. Excretion experiments showed that the ribbon leech is ammonotelic, excreting 166.0 ± 8.6 nmol·grams fresh weight (gFW)(-1)·h(-1) ammonia and 14.7 ± 1.9 nmol·gFW(-1)·h(-1) urea. Exposure to high and low pH hampered and enhanced, respectively, ammonia excretion rates, indicating an acid-linked ammonia trapping mechanism across the skin epithelia. Accordingly, compared with body tissues, the skin exhibited elevated mRNA expression levels of a newly identified Rhesus protein and at least in tendency the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Pharmacological experiments and enzyme assays suggested an ammonia excretion mechanism that involves the V-ATPase, Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, and carbonic anhydrase, but not necessarily a functional microtubule system. Most importantly, functional expression studies of the identified Rh protein cloned from leech skin tissue revealed an ammonia transport capability of this protein when expressed in yeast. The leech Rh-ammonia transporter (NoRhp) is a member of the primitive Rh protein family, which is a sister group to the common ancestor of vertebrate ammonia-transporting Rh proteins. Exposure to high environmental ammonia (HEA) caused a new adjustment of body ammonia, accompanied with a decrease in NoRhp and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase mRNA levels, but unaltered ammonia excretion rates. To our knowledge, this is only the second comprehensive study regarding the ammonia excretion mechanisms in a freshwater invertebrate, but our results show that basic processes of ammonia excretion appear to also be comparable to those found in freshwater fish, suggesting an early evolution of ionoregulatory mechanisms in freshwater organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jason R Treberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Dirk Weihrauch
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; and
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46
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Nawata CM, Walsh PJ, Wood CM. Nitrogen metabolism, acid-base regulation, and molecular responses to ammonia and acid infusions in the spiny dogfish shark (Squalus acanthias). J Comp Physiol B 2015; 185:511-25. [PMID: 25794843 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-015-0898-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2014] [Revised: 01/18/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Although they are ureotelic, marine elasmobranchs express Rh glycoproteins, putative ammonia channels. To address questions raised by a recent study on high environmental ammonia (HEA) exposure, dogfish were intravascularly infused for 24 h at 3 ml kg(-1) h(-1) with isosmotic NaCl (500 mmol l(-1), control), NH4HCO3 (500 mmol l(-1)), NH4Cl (500 mmol l(-1)), or HCl (as 125 mmol l(-1) HCl + 375 mmol l(-1) NaCl). While NaCl had no effect on arterial acid-base status, NH4HCO3 caused mild alkalosis, NH4Cl caused strong acidosis, and HCl caused lesser acidosis, all predominantly metabolic in nature. Total plasma ammonia (T(Amm)) and excretion rates of ammonia (J(Amm)) and urea-N (J(Urea-N)) were unaffected by NaCl or HCl. However, despite equal loading rates, plasma T(Amm) increased to a greater extent with NH4Cl, while J(Amm) increased to a greater extent with NH4HCO3 due to much greater increases in blood-to-water PNH3 gradients. As with HEA, both treatments caused large (90%) elevations of J(Urea-N), indicating that urea-N synthesis by the ornithine-urea cycle (OUC) is driven primarily by ammonia rather than HCO3(-). Branchial mRNA expressions of Rhbg and Rhp2 were unaffected by NH4HCO3 or NH4Cl, but v-type H(+)-ATPase was down-regulated by both treatments, and Rhbg and Na(+)/H(+) exchanger NHE2 were up-regulated by HCl. In the kidney, Rhbg was unresponsive to all treatments, but Rhp2 was up-regulated by HCl, and the urea transporter UT was up-regulated by HCl and NH4Cl. These responses are discussed in the context of current ideas about branchial, renal, and OUC function in this nitrogen-limited predator.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Michele Nawata
- Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, 100 Pachena Road, Bamfield, BC, V0R 1B0, Canada,
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47
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Sinha AK, Dasan AF, Rasoloniriana R, Pipralia N, Blust R, De Boeck G. Hypo-osmotic stress-induced physiological and ion-osmoregulatory responses in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) are modulated differentially by nutritional status. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2014; 181:87-99. [PMID: 25483239 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2014.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2014] [Revised: 11/26/2014] [Accepted: 11/27/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the impact of nutritional status on the physiological, metabolic and ion-osmoregulatory performance of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) when acclimated to seawater (32 ppt), brackish water (20 and 10 ppt) and hyposaline water (2.5 ppt) for 2 weeks. Following acclimation to different salinities, fish were either fed or fasted (unfed for 14 days). Plasma osmolality, [Na(+)], [Cl(-)] and muscle water content were severely altered in fasted fish acclimated to 10 and 2.5 ppt in comparison to normal seawater-acclimated fish, suggesting ion regulation and acid-base balance disturbances. In contrast to feed-deprived fish, fed fish were able to avoid osmotic perturbation more effectively. This was accompanied by an increase in Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase expression and activity, transitory activation of H(+)-ATPase (only at 2.5 ppt) and down-regulation of Na(+)/K(+)/2Cl(-) gene expression. Ammonia excretion rate was inhibited to a larger extent in fasted fish acclimated to low salinities while fed fish were able to excrete efficiently. Consequently, the build-up of ammonia in the plasma of fed fish was relatively lower. Energy stores, especially glycogen and lipid, dropped in the fasted fish at low salinities and progression towards the anaerobic metabolic pathway became evident by an increase in plasma lactate level. Overall, the results indicate no osmotic stress in both feeding treatments within the salinity range of 32 to 20 ppt. However, at lower salinities (10-2.5 ppt) feed deprivation tends to reduce physiological, metabolic, ion-osmo-regulatory and molecular compensatory mechanisms and thus limits the fish's abilities to adapt to a hypo-osmotic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Kumar Sinha
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium.
| | - Antony Franklin Dasan
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Rindra Rasoloniriana
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Nitin Pipralia
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Ronny Blust
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium
| | - Gudrun De Boeck
- Systemic Physiological and Ecotoxicological Research, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp BE-2020, Belgium
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48
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You X, Bian C, Zan Q, Xu X, Liu X, Chen J, Wang J, Qiu Y, Li W, Zhang X, Sun Y, Chen S, Hong W, Li Y, Cheng S, Fan G, Shi C, Liang J, Tom Tang Y, Yang C, Ruan Z, Bai J, Peng C, Mu Q, Lu J, Fan M, Yang S, Huang Z, Jiang X, Fang X, Zhang G, Zhang Y, Polgar G, Yu H, Li J, Liu Z, Zhang G, Ravi V, Coon SL, Wang J, Yang H, Venkatesh B, Wang J, Shi Q. Mudskipper genomes provide insights into the terrestrial adaptation of amphibious fishes. Nat Commun 2014; 5:5594. [PMID: 25463417 PMCID: PMC4268706 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mudskippers are amphibious fishes that have developed morphological and physiological adaptations to match their unique lifestyles. Here we perform whole-genome sequencing of four representative mudskippers to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations. We discover an expansion of innate immune system genes in the mudskippers that may provide defence against terrestrial pathogens. Several genes of the ammonia excretion pathway in the gills have experienced positive selection, suggesting their important roles in mudskippers’ tolerance to environmental ammonia. Some vision-related genes are differentially lost or mutated, illustrating genomic changes associated with aerial vision. Transcriptomic analyses of mudskippers exposed to air highlight regulatory pathways that are up- or down-regulated in response to hypoxia. The present study provides a valuable resource for understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying water-to-land transition of vertebrates. Mudskippers are amphibious fishes that have adapted to live on mudflats. Here, the authors sequence the genomes of four different mudskipper species and highlight genetic changes that may have had an evolutionary role in the water-to-land transition of vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin You
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Chao Bian
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Qijie Zan
- Shenzhen Wild Animal Rescue Center, Shenzhen 518040, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Xin Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jieming Chen
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | | | - Ying Qiu
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Wujiao Li
- Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Xinhui Zhang
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Ying Sun
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Shixi Chen
- College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Wanshu Hong
- College of Ocean and Earth Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
| | | | | | | | | | - Jie Liang
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | | | | | - Zhiqiang Ruan
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jie Bai
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Chao Peng
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Qian Mu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jun Lu
- 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Shenzhen BGI Fisheries Sci &Tech Co. Ltd, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Mingjun Fan
- Center for Fish Genomics, BGI-Wuhan, Wuhan 430075, China
| | - Shuang Yang
- 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Center for Fish Genomics, BGI-Wuhan, Wuhan 430075, China
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Gianluca Polgar
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jln Tungku Link, BE1410 Brunei Darussalam
| | - Hui Yu
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Jia Li
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China
| | - Zhongjian Liu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization of the Orchid Conservation and Research Center of Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518114, China
| | - Guoqiang Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization of the Orchid Conservation and Research Center of Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518114, China
| | - Vydianathan Ravi
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Steven L Coon
- Molecular Genomics Laboratory, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA
| | - Jian Wang
- 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] James D. Watson Institute of Genome Science, Hangzhou 310008, China
| | - Huanming Yang
- 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] James D. Watson Institute of Genome Science, Hangzhou 310008, China [3] Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in the Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Byrappa Venkatesh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore
| | - Jun Wang
- 1] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in the Research of Hereditary Disorders, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia [3] Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Qiong Shi
- 1] Shenzhen Key Lab of Marine Genomics, State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, Shenzhen 518083, China [2] BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China [3] Shenzhen BGI Fisheries Sci &Tech Co. Ltd, Shenzhen 518083, China [4] Center for Fish Genomics, BGI-Wuhan, Wuhan 430075, China
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49
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Heuer RM, Grosell M. Physiological impacts of elevated carbon dioxide and ocean acidification on fish. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2014; 307:R1061-84. [DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00064.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Most fish studied to date efficiently compensate for a hypercapnic acid-base disturbance; however, many recent studies examining the effects of ocean acidification on fish have documented impacts at CO2 levels predicted to occur before the end of this century. Notable impacts on neurosensory and behavioral endpoints, otolith growth, mitochondrial function, and metabolic rate demonstrate an unexpected sensitivity to current-day and near-future CO2 levels. Most explanations for these effects seem to center on increases in Pco2 and HCO3− that occur in the body during pH compensation for acid-base balance; however, few studies have measured these parameters at environmentally relevant CO2 levels or directly related them to reported negative endpoints. This compensatory response is well documented, but noted variation in dynamic regulation of acid-base transport pathways across species, exposure levels, and exposure duration suggests that multiple strategies may be utilized to cope with hypercapnia. Understanding this regulation and changes in ion gradients in extracellular and intracellular compartments during CO2 exposure could provide a basis for predicting sensitivity and explaining interspecies variation. Based on analysis of the existing literature, the present review presents a clear message that ocean acidification may cause significant effects on fish across multiple physiological systems, suggesting that pH compensation does not necessarily confer tolerance as downstream consequences and tradeoffs occur. It remains difficult to assess if acclimation responses during abrupt CO2 exposures will translate to fitness impacts over longer timescales. Nonetheless, identifying mechanisms and processes that may be subject to selective pressure could be one of many important components of assessing adaptive capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael M. Heuer
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Marine Biology and Fisheries, Miami, Florida
| | - Martin Grosell
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Marine Biology and Fisheries, Miami, Florida
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50
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Chew SF, Hiong KC, Lam SP, Chen XL, Ching B, Ip YK. Ammonia exposure increases the expression of Na(+):K (+):2Cl (-) cotransporter 1a in the gills of the giant mudskipper, Periophthalmodon schlosseri. J Comp Physiol B 2014; 185:57-72. [PMID: 25348644 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-014-0867-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The giant mudskipper, Periophthalmodon schlosseri, is an obligate air-breathing teleost that can actively excrete ammonia against high concentrations of environmental ammonia. This study aimed to clone and sequence the Na (+) :K (+) :2Cl (-) cotransporter 1 (nkcc1) from the gills of P. schlosseri, and to determine the effects of ammonia exposure on its mRNA expression and protein abundance after pre-acclimation to slightly brackish water (salinity 3; SBW) for 2 weeks. The complete coding cDNA sequences of nkcc1a consisted of 3453 bp, coding for 1151 amino acid with an estimated molecular mass of 125.4 kDa. Exposure to 75 mmol l(-1) NH4Cl in SBW had no effect on the mRNA expression of nkcc1a. However, western blotting revealed a significant increase in the protein abundance of multiple T4-immunoreactive bands of molecular mass 170-250 kDa in the gills of P. schlosseri exposed to ammonia. Furthermore, immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated the colocalization of the increased T4-immunoreactive protein with Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase (Nka) α-subunit to the basolateral membrane of certain ionocytes in the gills of the ammonia-exposed fish. As Nkcc1 is known to have a basolateral localization, it can be concluded that ammonia exposure led to an increase in the expression of glycosylated Nkcc1, the molecular masses of which were reduced upon enzymatic deglycosylation, in the gills of P. schlosseri. The dependency on post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation of branchial Nkcc1 in P. schlosseri would facilitate prompt responses to changes in environmental condition. As NH4 (+) can replace K(+), NH4 (+) could probably enter ionocytes through the basolateral Nkcc1a during active ammonia excretion, but increased influx of Na(+), NH4 (+) and 2Cl(-) would alter the transmembrane Na(+) gradient. Consequently, exposure of P. schlosseri to ammonia would also result in an increase in branchial activity of Nka with decreased NH4 (+) affinity so as to maintain intracellular Na(+) and K(+) homeostasis as reported elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shit F Chew
- Natural Sciences and Science Education, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Nanyang Walk, Singapore, 637616, Republic of Singapore,
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