The morphology and the histochemistry from the mucus of the posterior esophagus of the winter flounder and the yellowtail flounder were examined using light and electron microscopy. The esophageal mucosa of both species was organized into elaborate branching folds. The epithelium consisted of a stra...

The histology and mucus histochemistry of the pleuronectid post-gastric alimentary canal was examined using light and electron microscopy. Distinct differences in goblet cell mucus histochemistry were observed between species, with the two closest taxonomic species, the winter flounder and the yello...

BACKGROUND: Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a critical determinant of beta-cell insulin secretion in response to glucose. BHE/cdb rats have a mutation in ATP synthase that limits ATP production, yet develop mild diabetes only with ageing. We investigated the cellular basis for reduced insulin secret...

A dermal capillary network was found in three species of hagfishes (Myxine glutinosa, Paramyxine atami, Eptatretus stoutii) and in the adults of three species of lampreys (Geotria australis, Lampetra japonica, Petromyzon marinus). However, it was found neither in the ammocoetes of any of the species...

Cartilage structures of the sea lamprey, Petromyzon marimus, have previously been reported to stain by the Verhoeff method for elastin and to have a morphology similar to that of elastic cartilage of higher vertebrates. Earlier we showed that lamprin, the major matrix protein of lamprey annular cart...

Processes involving self-assembly of monomeric units into organized polymeric arrays are currently the subject of much attention, particularly in the areas of nanotechnology and biomaterials. One biological example of a protein polymer with potential for self-organization is elastin. Elastin is the ...

Light and electron microscopy and in vitro inflation experiments were conducted on the aortae of three different invertebrate species: the lobster Homarus americanus, the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus and the whelk Busycon contrarium. Inflation experiments were also performed on the aortae of tw...

P. salmonis, the aetiologic agent of salmonid rickettsial septicaemia (SRS), affects several species of salmonids. Previous reports using the appearance of cytopathic effect (CPE) as the criterion for susceptibility, showed that P. salmonis (ATCC strain) can be grown in vitro in some cells lines der...

The presence of elastic fibres in the extracellular matrix (ECM) provides physiologically important elastic properties for many tissues. Until recently, microfibrils, one component of the ECM, were thought primarily to serve as a scaffolding on which elastin is deposited during development to form e...

Previous evidence from our laboratories showed that collagen is not the major matrix protein of the cartilaginous endoskeleton of the lamprey (Petromyzon marinus). Here we have characterized the cartilage matrix proteins of the only other extant agnathan, the hagfish (Myxine glutinosa). Using morpho...

The development of digestive enzyme activity was compared in 2 species of flounders, the yellowtail flounder, Pleuronectes ferruginea, and the winter flounder [Pseudopleuronectes americanus], subjected to 3 feeding regimes (live rotifer and algal diet, weaning onto a compound diet or starvation). Tw...

Lamprey gonadotropin-releasing hormone was demonstrated in the brains of larval, metamorphic, and adult sea lampreys, Petromyzon marinus, using an immunoperoxidase technique. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone was observed in the neurohypophysis and preoptic area of the brain of larval, metamorphic, juv...

In contrast to all other vertebrate cartilages, the major extracellular matrix protein of lamprey cartilages is not collagen. Instead, there exists a unique family of noncollagenous structural proteins, the significance of which is not completely understood. A custom-built uniaxial testing apparatus...

1. Microfibrils are becoming increasingly recognized as an important component of the extracellular matrix. However, almost nothing: is known about their mechanical role in the diversity of tissues in which they are found. 2. Microfibrils form the principal structural component in the wall of the ab...

1. Various tissues of the porcupine Hystrix hodgesoni including liver, intestine, stomach, spleen, kidney, brain and lung were examined for the presence of growth hormone binding sites. 2. Membranes were prepared from the aforementioned tissues and tested for binding to I-125-bovine growth hormone (...

The goal of this study was to obtain a complete description of the elastic modulus and hysteresis of the mantle tissue of the squid Loligo pealei over the entire functional region of the mantle. In addition, in vivo strains were measured to allow. calculations of the amount of energy stored and retu...

Lampreys exhibit important structural and biochemical differences in their connective tissues relative to higher vertebrates. The lamprey ventral aorta wall, for example, is composed principally of microfibrils, not elastin and collagen as in higher vertebrates. Our working hypothesis was that this ...