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Alteration in branchial NKA and NKCC ion-transporter expression and ionocyte distribution in adult hilsa during up-river migration

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Abstract

Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) is a clupeid that migrates from the off-shore area through the freshwater river for spawning. The purpose of this study was to investigate the involvement of branchial Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) and Na+/K+/2Cl− cotransporter (NKCC) in maintaining ionic homeostasis in hilsa while moving across the salt barriers. Hilsa, migrating through marine and brackish waters, did not show any significant decline in NKA activity, plasma osmolality, and plasma ionic concentration. In contrast, all the parameters declined significantly, after the fish reached in freshwater zone of the river. Immunoblotting with NKA α antibody recognized two bands in gill homogenates. The intensity of the higher molecular NKA band decreased, while the other band subsequently increased accompanying the movement of hilsa from marine water (MW) to freshwater. Nevertheless, total NKA expression in marine water did not change prior to freshwater entry. NKCC expression was down-regulated in gill, parallel with NKA activity, as the fish approached to the freshwater stretch of river. The NKA α-1 and NKCC1 protein abundance decreased in freshwater individuals by 40% and 31%, respectively, compared to MW. NKA and NKCC1 were explicitly localized to branchial ionocytes and immunoreactive signal appeared throughout the cytoplasm except for the nucleus and the most apical region indicates a basolateral/tubular distribution. Immunoreactive ionocytes were distributed on the filaments and lamellae; lamellar ionocytes were more in number irrespective of habitat salinity. The decrease in salinity caused a slight reduction in ionocyte number, but not in size and the underlying distribution pattern did not alter. The overall results support previously proposed models that both the ion transporters are involved in maintaining ionic homeostasis and lamellar ionocytes may have the function in hypo-osmoregulation in migrating hilsa, unlike other anadromous teleosts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr. Gopal Krishna, Director, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai for providing necessary facilities for carrying out the research. This research was funded by National Agriculture Science Fund, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi under the project no. WQ-3021.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, 32 GN block, Sector V, Salt Lake City, Calcutta, West Bengal, 700 091, India

    Soumi Dutta, Saumya Kanti Ray, G. H. Pailan & Subrata Dasgupta

  2. ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, Calcutta, 700122, India

    V. R. Suresh

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  1. Soumi Dutta
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  2. Saumya Kanti Ray
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  3. G. H. Pailan
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Correspondence to Subrata Dasgupta.

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Communicated by G. Heldmaier.

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Dutta, S., Ray, S.K., Pailan, G.H. et al. Alteration in branchial NKA and NKCC ion-transporter expression and ionocyte distribution in adult hilsa during up-river migration. J Comp Physiol B 189, 69–80 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-018-1193-y

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