Novel spikey ionocytes are regulated by cortisol in the skin of an amphibious fish.

ABSTRACT: Cortisol is a major osmoregulatory hormone in fishes. Cortisol acts upon the gills, the primary site of ionoregulation, through modifications to specialized ion-transporting cells called ionocytes. We tested the hypothesis that cortisol also acts as a major regulator of skin ionocyte remodelling in the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) when gill function ceases during the water-to-land transition. When out of water, K. marmoratus demonstrated a robust cortisol response, which was linked with the remodelling of skin ionocytes to increase cell cross-sectional area and Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase (NKA) content, but not when cortisol synthesis was chemically inhibited by metyrapone. Additionally, we discovered a novel morphology of skin-specific ionocy

SUBMITTER: Ridgway MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8692953 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature