Measurement of mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized fish gills

Dawson, N. J. , Millet, C., Selman, C. and Metcalfe, N. B. (2020) Measurement of mitochondrial respiration in permeabilized fish gills. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223(4), 216762. (doi: 10.1242/jeb.216762) (PMID:31974221) (PMCID:PMC7044462)

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Abstract

Physiological investigations of fish gills have traditionally been centered on the two principal functions of the gills, gas exchange and ion regulation. Mitochondrion-rich cells (MRCs) are primarily found within the gill filaments of fish, and are thought to proliferate in order to increase the ionoregulatory capacity of the gill in response to environmentally-induced osmotic challenges. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the metabolic function of mitochondria within fish gills. Here we describe and validate a simple protocol for the permeabilization of fish gills and subsequent measurement of mitochondrial respiration rates in vitro. Our protocol requires only small tissue samples (8 mg), it exploits the natural structure of fish gills, does not require mechanical separation of the gill tissue (so is relatively quick to perform), and yields accurate and highly reproducible measurements of respiration rates. It offers great potential for the study of mitochondrial function in gills over a wide range of fish sizes and species.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Selman, Professor Colin and Millet, Dr Caroline and Dawson, Dr Neal and Metcalfe, Professor Neil
Authors: Dawson, N. J., Millet, C., Selman, C., and Metcalfe, N. B.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Journal of Experimental Biology
Publisher:Company of Biologists
ISSN:0022-0949
ISSN (Online):1477-9145
Published Online:23 January 2020
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2020 The Company of Biologists Ltd
First Published:First published in Journal of Experimental Biology 223(4)
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
301347Why do fish fail at high temperatures?Neil MetcalfeNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)NE/R001510/1Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine