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Morphological studies of peripheral blood cells of the Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis

Fish Physiology and Biochemistry volume 33, pages 213–222 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The peripheral blood cells of one-year-old Chinese sturgeon (Acipenser sinensis) have been studied by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The erythrocyte count was 84.86 × 104 cell mm−3 in the peripheral blood of the fish and that of leukocytes was 2.24 × 104 cell mm−3. The erythrocytes and four main types of leucocyte—thrombocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes (including neutrophils and eosinophils), and monocytes, were identified in the peripheral blood. In addition to normal erythrocytes, reticulocytes and division of erythrocytes were observed. Thrombocytes were the most numerous among the leukocytes, and the number of neutrophils with lobated nuclei was larger than for other fish. The structures of the erythrocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, and thrombocytes of the fish were studied. The erythrocytes were almost completely devoid of organelles, except for some mitochondria and granules. A large number of vacuoles and a few organelles were observed in cytoplasm of the monocytes. There were many microvilli on the membrane and pseudopodia-like cytoplasm bulge in the lymphocytes. The neutrophils were round or oval in shape with bilobed, trilobed, or multilobed nuclei whereas the eosinophils had big special granules, dark stained. There were many vesicles in some thrombocytes, which were related to its phagocytosis; some thrombocytes had almost no cytoplasm or organelles.

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Acknowledgements

This research is a component of the Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (ACRSP), supported by the US Agency for International Development Grant No. LAG-G-00-96-90015-00, and by contributions from the University of Michigan, the Asian Institute of Technology, and Huazhong Agricultural University. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the US Agency for International Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Fishery, Key Lab of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction of Ministry of Education, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, P. R. China

    Gao Zexia, Wang Weimin, Khalid Abbas & Li Dapeng

  2. Aquaculture and Aquatic Resources Management, School of Environment, Resources and Development, Asian Institute of Technology, P. O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathum Thani, 12120, Thailand

    Yang Yi

  3. Yangtze River Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Jingzhou, Hubei, 434000, P. R. China

    Zou Guiwei

  4. School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-1115, USA

    James S. Diana

Authors
  1. Gao Zexia
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  2. Wang Weimin
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  3. Yang Yi
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  4. Khalid Abbas
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  5. Li Dapeng
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  6. Zou Guiwei
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  7. James S. Diana
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Correspondence to Wang Weimin.

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Zexia, G., Weimin, W., Yi, Y. et al. Morphological studies of peripheral blood cells of the Chinese sturgeon, Acipenser sinensis . Fish Physiol Biochem 33, 213–222 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-007-9133-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10695-007-9133-x

Keywords

  • Acipenser sinensis
  • Blood cells
  • Microstructure
  • Ultrastructure

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