Morphogenesis and motility of the Astyanax mexicanus gastrointestinal tract.

ABSTRACT: Through the course of evolution, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract has been modified to maximize nutrient absorption, forming specialized segments that are morphologically and functionally distinct. Here we show that the GI tract of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, has distinct regions, exhibiting differences in morphology, motility, and absorption. We found that A. mexicanus populations adapted for life in subterranean caves exhibit differences in the GI segments compared to those adapted to surface rivers. Cave-adapted fish exhibit bi-directional churning motility in the stomach region that is largely absent in river-adapted fish. We investigated how this motility pattern influences intestinal transit of powdered food and live prey. We found that powdered food is more readily emptied

SUBMITTER: Riddle MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6281292 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature