A study of the structure and function of the pronephros in the larvae of the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and the herring (Clupea harengus)

Citation

Tytler P, Ireland J & Fitches E (1996) A study of the structure and function of the pronephros in the larvae of the turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) and the herring (Clupea harengus). Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology, 28 (1-2), pp. 3-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10236249609378975

Abstract
Unlike most other vertebrate groups, the nephrons of the pronephroi in the larval stages of both species of marine teleost fishes were found to have an internal glomus and no nephrostomes. A novel technique, which exploited the transparency of pelagic fish larvae, was used to investigate pronephric function. Fluorescein‐labelled inulin was injected into the heart and its progress through the blood circulation and pronephric systems was recorded by confocal microscopy and quantified by image analysis. Urine flow rates (UFR) were calculated from the time course of changes in bladder volume. The ratio of inulin fluorescence in the bladder to that in the dorsal aorta was then used as a factor, with UFR, to calculate glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The relative performance of the larval pronephroi, in terms of mass‐related UFR (1.4-6.3 nl • mg-1 • h-1) and GFR (3-17 nl • mg-1 • h-1), was similar to that of the kidneys of adult fishes.

Keywords
Pronephros; structure; function; UFR; U/P ratios; fish larvae

Journal
Marine and Freshwater Behaviour and Physiology: Volume 28, Issue 1-2

People

Mrs Jacquie Ireland

Lead Technical Specialist