Synopsis
Small numbers of ‘mitochondria-rich’ (‘chloride’) cells were found in the yolksac epithelium of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) embryos just before hatching and in eleuthero-embryos up to 14 days after hatching. This suggests that the yolksac epithelium may play a limited ionoregulatory role in this species.
‘Mitochondria-rich’ cells were also present in small numbers in the branchial epithelium of embryos just before hatching and in increasing numbers in eleutheroembryos during the first two weeks after hatching. The cells in the branchial epithelium showed marked variations in appearance, particularly in the fine structure of the tubular (smooth) endoplasmic reticulum. Few of the mitochondria-rich cells examined here had the pitted apex which is characteristic of homologous cells in other species.
There appeared to be no differences in the numbers or appearance of ‘mitochondria-rich’ cells in embryos and eleutheroembryos reared in different ambient salinities (distilled water, 110/00 and 130/00 sea water), possibly indicating that the genesis of the ionoregulatory function of the gills has not occurred at that interval of development.
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Shen, A.C., Leatherland, J.F. Structure of the yolksac epithelium and gills in the early developmental stages of rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) maintained in different ambient salinities. Environ Biol Fish 3, 345–354 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000526
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00000526