The involvement of a Na(+)/H(+) exchanger (NHE) in mediating Na(+) uptake by freshwater fish is currently debated. Although supported indirectly by empirical molecular and pharmacological data, theoretically its operation should be constrained thermodynamically, owing to unfavorable chemical gradients. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on ammonia channels (Rh proteins) as potentially contributing to Na(+) uptake across the freshwater fish gill. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that Rhcg1, a specific apical isoform of Rh protein, is critically important in facilitating Na(+) uptake in zebrafish larvae via its interaction with NHE. Treating larvae (4 days postfertilization) with 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl) amiloride (EIPA), an inhibitor of NHE, caused a significant reduction in Na(+) uptake in fish reared in acidic water (pH ∼ 4.0). A role for NHE in Na(+) uptake was further confirmed by translational knockdown of NHE3b, an isoform of NHE thought to be responsible for Na(+)/H(+) exchange in zebrafish larvae. Exposing the larvae reared in acidic water to 5 mM external ammonium sulfate or increasing the buffering capacity of the water with 10 mM HEPES caused concurrent reductions in ammonia excretion and Na(+) uptake. Furthermore, translational knockdown of Rhcg1 significantly reduced ammonia excretion and Na(+) uptake in larvae chronically (4 days) or acutely (24 h) exposed to acidic water. Unlike in sham-injected larvae, EIPA did not affect Na(+) uptake in fish experiencing Rhcg1 knockdown. Additionally, exposure of larvae to bafilomycin A1 (an inhibitor of H(+)-ATPase) significantly reduced Na(+) uptake in fish reared in acidic water. These observations suggest the existence of multiple mechanisms of Na(+) uptake in larval zebrafish in acidic water: one in which Na(+) uptake via NHE3b is linked to ammonia excretion via Rhcg1, and another facilitated by H(+)-ATPase.

Ionic regulation and acid-base balance are fundamental to the physiology of vertebrates including fish. Acidification of freshwater ecosystems is recognized as a global environmental problem, and the physiological responses to acid exposure in a few fish species are well characterized. However, the underlying mechanisms promoting ionic and acid-base balance for most fish species that have been investigated remain unclear. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a powerful model system to elucidate the molecular basis of ionic and acid-base regulation. The utility of zebrafish is related to the ease with which it can be genetically manipulated, its suitability for state-of-the-art molecular and cellular approaches, and its tolerance to diverse environmental conditions. Recent studies have identified several key regulatory mechanisms enabling acclimation of zebrafish to acidic environments, including activation of the sodium/hydrogen exchanger (NHE) and H + -ATPase for acid secretion and Na + uptake, cortisol-mediated regulation of transcellular and paracellular Na + movements, and ionocyte proliferation controlled by specific cell-fate transcription factors. These integrated physiological responses ultimately contribute to ionic and acid-base homeostasis in zebrafish exposed to acidic water. In the present review, we provide an overview of the general effects of acid exposure on freshwater fish, the adaptive mechanisms promoting extreme acid tolerance in fishes native to acidic environments, and the mechanisms regulating ionic and acid-base balance during acid exposure in zebrafish. KEY WORDS: Acid exposure, Acid-base balance, Ionic regulation, Zebrafish IntroductionDeclining fish populations in acidified lakes and streams (see review by McDonald, 1983a) was a significant factor promoting intensive research over the past 40 years on the ecological and physiological consequences of aquatic acidification. In freshwater (FW) ecosystems, acidification is caused largely by atmospheric acidic deposition (i.e. acid rain). Acidification of FW is a global problem, which has been documented in several geographic regions including eastern Europe, the USA and China (Psenner, 1994;Schindler, 1988;Wright et al., 2005). In Canada, it is estimated that about 40% of lakes are in regions susceptible to acid deposition (Kelso et al., 1990). Most aquatic animals, including fish, live in a narrow range of pH near neutrality, and acute or chronic exposure to acidic water can adversely affect their physiological functions (McDonald, 1983a;Wood, 1989). Nevertheless, some species thrive in acidic environments, and thus can serve as useful models for investigating the mechanisms underlying adaptation to acid stress. REVIEWDepartment of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1N 6N5.*Author for correspondence (wkwong@uottawa.ca)The mechanisms of ionic and acid-base regulation in fish have been summarized in previous reviews (Claiborne et al., 2002;Evans et al., 2005;Gilmour and Perry, 2009;Goss et al., 19...

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Key pointsr Hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S), a gaseous neurotransmitter, is involved in oxygen sensing in glomus cells, which are oxygen-sensing cells found in the mammalian carotid body.r Neuroepithelial cells (NECs) are oxygen-sensing cells of fish and are thought to be phylogenetic precursors of mammalian glomus cells; however, the oxygen-sensing mechanisms of these cells remain largely unknown.r Both adult and larval zebrafish responded to exogenous H 2 S by increasing ventilation in a dose-dependent manner; H 2 S increased intracellular [Ca 2+ ] in NECs.r Inhibiting endogenous H 2 S production decreased or abolished the ventilatory response to hypoxia in both adult and larval zebrafish.r The results demonstrate an important role for H 2 S in oxygen sensing in zebrafish.Abstract The current study investigated the role of hydrogen sulphide (H 2 S) in oxygen sensing, intracellular signalling and promotion of ventilatory responses to hypoxia in adult and larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Both larval and adult zebrafish exhibited a dose-dependent increase in ventilation to sodium sulphide (Na 2 S), an H 2 S donor. In vertebrates, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) and cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) are enzymes that catalyse the endogenous production of H 2 S. In adult zebrafish, inhibition of both CBS and CSE with aminooxyacetate (AOA) and propargyl glycine (PPG) blunted or abolished the hypoxic hyperventilation, and the addition of Na 2 S to the water partially rescued the effects of inhibiting endogenous H 2 S production. In zebrafish larvae (4 days post-fertilization), gene knockdown of either CBS or CSE using morpholinos attenuated the hypoxic ventilatory response. Furthermore, the intracellular calcium concentration of isolated neuroepithelial cells (NECs), which are putative oxygen chemoreceptors, increased significantly when these cells were exposed to 50 μM Na 2 S, supporting a role for H 2 S in Ca 2+ -evoked neurotransmitter release in these cells. Finally, immunohistochemical labelling showed that NECs dissociated from adult gill contained CBS and CSE, whereas cutaneous NECs in larval zebrafish expressed only CSE. Taken together, these data show that H 2 S can be produced in the putative oxygen-sensing cells of zebrafish, the NECs, in which it appears to play a pivotal role in promoting the hypoxic ventilatory response.

The contribution of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) to Na C uptake was investigated in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). At 4 days post fertilization (dpf), the level of whole-body angiotensin-II (ANG-II) was significantly increased after 1-or 3-h exposure to acidic (pHZ4.0) or ion-poor water (20-fold dilution of Ottawa tapwater), suggesting rapid activation of the RAS. Long-term (24 h) treatment of 3 dpf larvae with ANG-I or ANG-II significantly increased Na C uptake which was accompanied by an increase in mRNA expression of the NaInduction of Na C uptake by exposure to ANG-I was blocked by simultaneously treating larvae with lisinopril (an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor). Acute (2 h) exposure to acidic water or ion-poor water led to significant increase in Na C uptake which was partially blocked by the ANG-II receptor antagonist, telmisartan. Consistent with these data, translational knockdown of renin prevented the stimulation of Na C uptake following exposure to acidic or ion-poor water. The lack of any effects of pharmacological inhibition (using RU486), or knockdown of glucocorticoid receptors on the stimulation of Na C uptake during acute exposure to acidic or ion-poor environments, indicates that the acute effects of RAS occur independently of cortisol signaling. The results of this study demonstrate that the RAS is involved in Na C homeostasis in larval zebrafish. Key Words" angiotensin-II" cortisol " zebrafish " osmoregulation " ion-poor water " acidic water

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous neurotransmitter, which, in adult mammals, modulates the acute hypoxic ventilatory response; its role in the control of breathing in fish during development is unknown. We addressed the interactive effects of developmental age and NO in the control of piscine breathing by measuring the ventilatory response of zebrafish (Danio rerio) adults and larvae to NO donors and by inhibiting endogenous production of NO. In adults, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, inhibited ventilation; the extent of the ventilatory inhibition was related to the pre-existing ventilatory drive, with the greatest inhibition exhibited during exposure to hypoxia (P O2 =5.6 kPa). Inhibition of endogenous NO production using L-NAME suppressed the hypoventilatory response to hyperoxia, supporting an inhibitory role of NO in adult zebrafish. Neuroepithelial cells (NECs), the putative oxygen chemoreceptors of fish, contain neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS). In zebrafish larvae at 4 days post-fertilization, SNP increased ventilation in a concentrationdependent manner. Inhibition of NOS activity with L-NAME or knockdown of nNOS inhibited the hypoxic (P O2 =3.5 kPa) ventilatory response. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of nNOS in the NECs of larvae. Taken together, these data suggest that NO plays an inhibitory role in the control of ventilation in adult zebrafish, but an excitatory role in larvae.

The ontogeny of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sensing in zebrafish (Danio rerio) has not been examined. In this study, CO 2 -mediated increases in heart rate were used to gauge the capacity of zebrafish larvae to sense CO 2 . CO 2 is thought to be detected via neuroepithelial cells (NECs), which are homologous to mammalian carotid body glomus cells. Larvae at 5 days post-fertilization (d.p.f.) exhibited tachycardia when exposed for 30 min to 0.75% CO 2 (~5.63 mmHg); at 7 d.p.f., tachycardia was elicited by 0.5% CO 2 (~3.75 mmHg). Based on pharmacological evidence using β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) antagonists, and confirmed by β 1 -AR translational gene knockdown using morpholinos, the reflex tachycardia accompanying hypercapnia was probably mediated by the interaction of catecholamines with cardiac β 1 receptors. Because the cardiac response to hypercapnia was abolished by the ganglionic blocker hexamethonium, it is probable that the reflex cardio-acceleration was mediated by catecholamines derived from sympathetic adrenergic neurons. Owing to its likely role in facilitating intracellular acidification during exposure to hypercapnia, it was hypothesized that carbonic anhydrase (CA) is involved in CO 2 sensing, and that inhibition of CA activity would blunt the downstream responses. Indeed, the cardiac response to hypercapnia (0.75% CO 2 ) was reduced in fish at 5 d.p.f. exposed to acetazolamide, a CA inhibitor, and in fish experiencing zCAc (CA2-like a) knockdown. Successful knockdown of zCAc was confirmed by CA activity measurements, western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Co-injection of embryos with zCAc morpholino and mRNA modified at the morpholino binding site restored normal levels of CA activity and protein levels, and restored (rescued) the usual cardiac responses to hypercapnia. These data, combined with the finding that zCAc is expressed in NECs located on the skin, suggest that the afferent limb of the CO 2 -induced cardiac reflex in zebrafish larvae is initiated by coetaneous CO 2 -sensing neuroepithelial cells.