Gonadal neoplasms in hard shell clams Mercenaria spp., from the Indian River, Florida: Occurrence, prevalence, and histopathology

Hesselman, Donald M.; Blake, Norman J.; Peters, Esther C.

doi:10.1016/0022-2011(88)90056-0

Cited by 44 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Germinal tumours were also seasonally increased and more abundant at warm summer water temperatures. Hard shell clams from Florida generally displayed higher tumour incidence than clams from colder Rhode Island waters (Hesselmann et al, 1988). Thus, higher susceptibility to malignant neoplasmic diseases may be involved in shortening population specific maximum lifespan in bivalves with a geographical distribution between different climate zones.…”

Section: Genes and Lifespan In Bivalvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bivalve models of aging and the determination of molluscan lifespans

Abele

Brey

Philipp

2009

Experimental Gerontology

130

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a b s t r a c tBivalves are newly discovered models of natural aging. This invertebrate group includes species with the longest metazoan lifespan approaching 400 y, as well as species of swimming and sessile lifestyles that live just for 1 y. Bivalves from natural populations can be aged by shell growth bands formed at regular intervals of time. This enables the study of abiotic and biotic environment factors (temperature, salinity, predator and physical disturbance) on senescence and fitness in natural populations, and distinguishes the impact of extrinsic effectors from intrinsic (genetic) determinants of animal aging. Extreme longevity of some bivalve models may help to analyze general metabolic strategies thought to be life prolonging, like the transient depression of metabolism, which forms part of natural behaviour in these species. Thus, seasonal food shortage experienced by benthic filter feeding bivalves in polar and temperate seas may mimic caloric restriction in vertebrates. Incidence of malignant neoplasms in bivalves needs to be investigated, to determine the implication of late acting mutations for bivalve longevity. Finally, bivalves are applicable models for testing the implication of heterozygosity of multiple genes for physiological tolerance, adaptability (heterozygote superiority), and life expectancy.Ó 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Bivalves: a diverse set of models for aging studies and environmental recordersCommonly used animal models for cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the process of aging, such as Drosophila melanogaster, Caenorhabditis elegans or small rodents, are bred and reared under controlled laboratory conditions. Most of these aging models are short lived (days in C. elegans, weeks in D. melanogaster, <5 y in rodents) and, hence, may not show all the age-dependent changes of long-lived species (Reznik, 1993;Kirkwood, 2002). Especially, short lived models are not representative of the negligible aging type (Finch, 1990;Terzibasi et al., 2007). Further, aging under controlled laboratory conditions may differ significantly from aging in the wild, and the applicability of the results to natural animal populations is often questionable. Good reasons to establish animal models that can be sampled from a range of environmental settings and scenarios, but at the same time provide information on their individual life history, including their chronological age (Austad, 1996).Such new models are found among bivalve molluscs. Worldwide, approximately 20,000 species (Pearse et al., 1987) of marine bivalves exist so that this class offers a rich diversity of lifestyles, adaptations to specific environmental conditions and corresponding strategies of aging, albeit based on the same filter feeder blueprint in the majority of species. Some bivalve species, like the long-lived ocean quahog, Arctica islandica or the blue mussel Mytilus edulis exhibit broad geographical distribution, with habitats spanning large latitudinal ranges and covering different climate zones. Other sp...

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Section: Genes and Lifespan In Bivalvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…could not be related to germ cell tumours (germinoma) occurring massively in this species. Instead, increased tumour incidence is detected during times of rapid environmental change (Hesselmann et al, 1988). Germinal tumours were also seasonally increased and more abundant at warm summer water temperatures.…”

Section: Genes and Lifespan In Bivalvesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bivalve models of aging and the determination of molluscan lifespans

Abele

Brey

Philipp

2009

Experimental Gerontology

130

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“…It is not clear from our data if the 2 pure-species experience a lower mean intensity of the disease than hybrids do because they are resistant to progression or because the intensity level at which they die is lower than it is for hybrids. The disease may or may not progress to a fatal outcome, but it does reduce fecundity (Hesselman et al 1988). If the species-specific refuges that we describe for Mercenaria spp.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Gonad sections were examined under a compound microscope at 100 to 400 × magnification to identify gender and to determine if neoplastic cells were present in the gonad (Hesselman et al 1988, Bert et al 1993. When neoplasia was determined to be present, the progression of the disease was classified as being in 1 of 6 stages, as summarized in Table 3 (Arnold et al 2004).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We also evaluated gonadal neoplasia (Hesselman et al 1988) in the various hard clam populations to determine if the frequency or intensity of this debilitating disease is greater in clam populations exposed to introductions of nonindigenous Mercenaria mercenaria than in unexposed populations (Bert et al 1993). Finally, we assessed the frequency of occurrence of the 'notata' phenotypic marker (Chanley 1961, Humphrey & Walker 1982 in each of the sampled clam populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mercenaria mercenaria introductions into Florida, USA, waters: duration, not size of introduction, influences genetic outcomes

Arnold¹,

Geiger²,

Stephenson³

2009

Aquat. Biol.

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Wild stocks of hard clams from the genus Mercenaria historically supported commercial fisheries, but, as these stocks have been depleted, market demand has been filled by clams produced in aquaculture operations. Along the east coast of the USA, M. mercenaria is indigenous and used for aquaculture. Indigenous Gulf of Mexico (GOM) clam populations consist of M. campechiensis, a species less suited to aquaculture because of its short shelf life. Aquaculture operations have introduced M. mercenaria into GOM waters, resulting in altered Mercenaria species composition to the detriment of M. campechiensis. Where M. mercenaria have been introduced, the population now includes both M. mercenaria and M. campechiensis, and hybrids are common. This is particularly evident where commercial aquaculture is ongoing and introductions are, therefore, continuous. Where shortterm introductions have occurred for research purposes, M. mercenaria is restricted to oyster reefs. At those sites, and at sites where no documented introductions of M. mercenaria have occurred, hybrids are rare and M. campechiensis dominate the more common sand/seagrass habitats. As the 2 species continue to interbreed, pure M. campechiensis will become rarer and hybrids more common, potentially resulting in reduced fitness of M. campechiensis from GOM waters. The trend towards hybrids may be ameliorated by an increased intensity of gonadal neoplasia in the hybrid clams. These results indicate that M. mercenaria introductions into the GOM, even on the relatively small scale of scientific research efforts, have a substantial and long-lasting influence on the genotype composition of hard clam populations in GOM waters.

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