AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, Vol 238, Issue 3 207-R212, Copyright © 1980 by American Physiological Society
Freeze fracture of the gill epithelium of euryhaline teleost fish
C. Sardet
We briefly discuss the information one can obtain using freeze fracture. We
used this technique to precisely identify the types of junctions that link
the cells of the gill epithelium of euryhaline teleosts. In particular we
demonstrate that seawater adaptation is characterized by the appearance of
new apical tight junctions between chloride cells. Another particularity of
these cells, the extensive network of tubules, extension of the basolateral
plasma membrane, is shown to be made of repetitive units. We discuss the
functional importance of the observations with respect to the adaptation of
fish to different salinities.
