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H. A. Bern

Publications and source records attributed to H. A. Bern.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Hormonal control of sulfate uptake by bronchial cartilage of coho salmon: Role of IGF-I

The direct hormonal control of sulfate uptake by cartilage matrix of coho salmon was examined by exposing branchial cartilage to 1 μCi · ml −1 35 SO 4 for 48 hours at 15°C in a defined medium. Sulfate uptake occurred primarily in cartilage (rather than bone) and the amount of specific uptake was similar in epibranchial and ceratobranchial cartilages. Intact and hypophysectomized coho salmon starved for 22 days had equivalent in vitro sulfate uptake, which in both cases were 30% of the uptake seen in branchial cartilage of fed, intact controls. In branchial cartilage from starved coho salmon, in vitro exposure to recombinant bovine insulin-like growth factor I (rbIGF-I) at 1, 10, 100, and 1,000 ng · ml −1 caused a dose-dependent increase in sulfate uptake, with a maximum 3-fold increase over control at 1,000 ng · ml −1 rbIGF-I. Coho salmon insulin (1, 10, 100, and 1,000 ng · ml −1 ) resulted in a maximum 30% increase in sulfate uptake at the highest dose. Growth hormone and triiodo-L-thyronine had no direct effect on in vitro sulfate uptake. The results indicate that IGF-I has direct effects on coho salmon cartilage and may be an important regulator of growth in salmon and other teleosts.

Journal of Experimental Zoology↗

Circulating growth hormone, cortisol and thyroxine levels after 24 h seawater challenge of yearling coho salmon at different developmental stages

The response of the endocrine system to short-term exposure to sea water (SW) was examined before, during and after the parr-smolt transformation of coho salmon. Five transfers of yearling coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) from fresh water (FW) to FW, or from FW to SW for 24 h were carried out between March and September. Condition factor declined significantly in late April, and gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity was elevated between late March and early June. Increases in plasma osmolality after transfer to SW were high in early March, low from late March — early June and slightly higher in September. In fish transferred from FW to FW, plasma levels of thyroxine (T 4 ) were elevated in late March-late April, and plasma levels of cortisol were high in late March-early June; both hormones declined to early March levels thereafter. Growth hormone (GH) levels increased in late March and remained elevated for the duration of the study. A significant linear correlation existed between plasma cortisol and growth hormone levels in FW to FW transferred fish. After SW transfer, T 4 levels were significantly lower than values in FW controls in early March and were significantly higher than FW control levels in early June and early September. Cortisol levels increased significantly after each transfer except in late April. However, compared with the early March and early September transfers, the magnitude of the elevation was reduced in late March. GH levels were significantly elevated above FW control levels after seawater transfer in late April only, despite a trend for mean GH levels to be higher after transfer in June and September. Thus, minimal increases in cortisol, and increases in GH occur after SW transfer of functional (optimally hypo-osmoregulating) smolts.

Aquaculture↗

Physiology of seawater acclimation in the striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum)

Several experiments were performed to investigate the physiology of seawater acclimation in the striped bass, Morone saxatilis . Transfer of fish from fresh water (FW) to seawater (SW; 31–32 ppt) induced only a minimal disturbance of osmotic homeostasis. Ambient salinity did not affect plasma thyroxine, but plasma cortisol remained elevated for 24h after SW transfer. Gill and opercular membrane chloride cell density and Na + ,K + -ATPase activity were relatively high and unaffected by salinity. Average chloride cell size, however, was slightly increased (16%) in SW-acclimated fish. Gill succinate dehydrogenase activity was higher in SW-acclimated fish than in FW fish. Kidney Na + , K + -ATPase activity was slightly lower (16%) in SW fish than in FW fish. Posterior intestinal Na + ,K + -ATPase activity and water transport capacity (J v ) did not change upon SW transfer, whereas middle intestinal Na + ,K + -ATPase activity increased 35% after transfer and was correlated with an increase in J v (110%). As salinity induced only minor changes in the osmoregulatory organs examined, it is proposed that the intrinsic euryhalinity of the striped bass may be related to a high degree of “preparedness” for hypoosmoregulation that is uncommon among teleosts studied to data.

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry↗

Effects of salinity on chloride cells and Na+ K+-ATPase activity in the teleost Gillchthys mirabilis

1. Longjawed mudsuckers, Gillichthys mirabilis , in 30ppt seawater (SW) were transferred to 1.5, 30 and 60ppt SW. 2. In the first 1–3 days after transfer, plasma chloride level and plasma osmolarity rose in the 60ppt SW fish, and decreased in the 1.5ppt SW fish. 3. By day 21, however, plasma chloride and osmolarity were at or near the levels seen in the controls (30ppt). 4. Branchial and jawskin Na + , K + -ATPase activities were high in all salinities, and did not differ significantly among treatments. 5. The vital fluorescent stains DASPEI and anthroylouabain were used to detect mitochondria and Na + , K + -ATPase, respectively, in chloride cells. 6. Both stains indicated that jawskin chloride cell density did not differ among treatment groups. 7. In contrast, chloride cell size increased significantly with increasing salinity. 8. The chloride cells of fish in 60 ppt SW were noticeably angular in outline, whereas those of both the 1.5 and 30ppt SW fish were circular. 9. The results are discussed in relation to the ion transport requirements encountered in the intertidal habitat of the mudsucker.

Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A: P↗

Stimulation of coho salmon growth by insulin-like growth factor I

The effect of insulin-like growth factor I on growth rate of coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) was examined. Juvenile coho salmon received implants of osmotic minipumps containing recombinant bovine insulin-like growth factor I (rbIGF-I) or saline for a period of 3 to 4 weeks. High doses of rbIGF-I (>0.13 μg · g −1 · d −1 ) resulted in hypoglycemia and death. In 2-year-old coho salmon, 0.09 μg · g −1 · d −1 rbIGF-I administered for 25 days doubled linear growth rate and increased growth rate in weight by 40%. In rapidly growing, 1-year-old coho salmon, growth rate was not altered by rbIGF-I at 0.01 or 0.05 μg · g −1 · d −1 for 31 days. In ration-limited fish exhibiting slow growth in the control group, rbIGF-I (0.02 to 0.12 μg · g −1 · d −1 ) increased linear growth rate by up to threefold and growth rate in weight by up to fourfold. The results indicate that exogenous treatment with mammalian IGF-I can stimulate coho salmon growth under some conditions, and that endogenous IGF-I may be an important factor in regulating growth of teleosts.

General and Comparative Endocrinology↗

Effects of prolacton chloride cells opercular membrane of seawater-adapted tilapia

Effects of prolactin on morphology and numbers of chloride cells in the opercular membrane of seawater-adapted tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) have been examined. Following five daily injections of ovine prolactin at a dose of 10 μg · g body wt −1 , blood samples were taken and opercular membranes were removed and stained with a fluorescent mitochondrial dye (dimethylaminostyrylethylpyridiniumiodine), a fluorescent derivative of ouabain (anthroylouabain), and a histological stain specific for the extensive tubular system of chloride cells (zinc-osmium-iodine). Mean plasma osmolarity and sodium increased 23–24% following prolactin injection. An increase in the relative frequency of chloride cells between 20 and 180 μm 2 in cross-sectional area and a decrease in the relative frequency of chloride cells greater than 180 μm 2 were observed following prolactin injections. Average cell size decreased 46–70% and cell height decreased 26–38% following prolactin injections. There was no significant change in cell density. Anthroylouabain staining was observed in both prolactin- and saline-injected fish, and no significant effect on Na + ,K + -adenosinetri-phosphatase activity was seen in either opercular membrane or gill tissue. The results demonstrate an effect of prolactin on chloride cell size and provide a morphological correlate for decreased secretory activity of chloride cells following prolactin injections.

General and Comparative Endocrinology↗

Developmental differences in the responsiveness of gill Na+, K+ and -ATPase to cortisol salmonids

The ability of cortisol to increase gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity was examined in several salmonid species during development. Coho salmon ( Oncorhynchus kisutch ) parr were unresponsive to cortisol in vitro (10 μg/ml for 2 days) in November. Responsiveness was significant from January to March, peaking in January just prior to seasonal increases in gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity. Gill tissue became unresponsive to in vitro cortisol in April when in vivo gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity peaked. The ability of cortisol to stimulate gill, Na + , K + -ATPase activity in postemergent fry (2–3 months after hatching) was examined in chum ( O. keta ), chinook ( O. tschawytscha ), coho, and Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). Initial levels of gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity were elevated in chum salmon, which normally migrate as fry. Cortisol (10 μg/ml for 4 days in vitro ) increased gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity in chum salmon fry (48% above initial levels), had a limited but significant effect in chinook salmon fry, and had no effect in coho and Atlantic salmon fry. In an in vivo experiment, Atlantic salmon previously exposed to simulated natural photoperiod (SNP) and continuous light (L24) received four cortisol injections of 2 μg · g −1 every third day. SNP fish responded with increased gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity (+66%), whereas L24 fish were not affected. Atlantic salmon presmolts with initially low levels of gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity responded to cortisol in vitro , whereas smolts with initially high levels of gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity were unresponsive. Triiodothyronine (0.01–10 μg/ml), prolactin (0.1–10 μg/ml), growth hormone (0.1–10 μg/ml), insulin (0.01–10 μg/ml), and bovine insulin-like growth factor I (0.01–1 μg/ml) did not affect gill Na + , K + -ATPase activity in vitro , individually or with cortisol (1–10 μg/ml). Thus, changes in responsiveness to cortisol occur during salmonid development, vary among species, and may be important in the heterochrony that characterizes the parr-smolt transformation.

General and Comparative Endocrinology↗