Epidermal distribution of tetrodotoxin-rich cells in newly hatched larvae of Takifugu spp.
Pufferfish of the genus Takifugu possess tetrodotoxin (TTX), known as "pufferfish toxin" and it is believed that pufferfish eggs and newly hatched larvae utilize TTX as a defensive substance against predators. However, the mechanism for the placement of TTX to specific cells on the larval body surface during the developmental process remains unknown. In this study, we clarify the distribution and characteristics of TTX-rich cells. We performed whole-mount immunohistochemistry (IHC) using anti-TTX monoclonal antibody on larvae of two pufferfish species, Takifugu rubripes and Takifugu alboplumbeus, just after hatching. This allowed observation of the TTX location and compared it with those of wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-positive (periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive) cells for mucous cells and IHC using anti-Na<sup>+</sup>/K<sup>+</sup>-ATPase (NKA) monoclonal antibody for ionocytes. As a result, uniformly scattered localization of TTX-rich cells was commonly observed in the epidermis of the larvae of the two Takifugu species. TTX-rich cells were WGA-negative (PAS-negative) and structurally distinct from NKA-positive cells, suggesting that TTX-rich cells are unreported small cells unique to pufferfish skin, but not mucous cells nor ionocytes.
Authors
- Kentarō Hayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8360-7630)
- Osamu Arakawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-6405)
- Nobuo Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0283-9910)
- Arata Nagami
- Yuki Seki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3906-3506)
- Rei Suo
- Kazutoshi Yoshitake (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8247-9443)
- Yui Kaneko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2253-4233)
- Tomohiro Takatani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6323-5892)
- Ryo Yonezawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6706-264X)
- Ashley Rinka Smith
- Hajime Matsubara (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9528-4322)
- Shuichi Asakawa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7599-0825)
- Muhammad Ahya Rafiuddin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7980-1278)
- Soichi Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1130-5160)
- Shigeharu Kinoshita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6458-1487)
- Miwa Suzuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0452-0778)
- Keishiro Inahashi
- Inori Watanabe
- Shiro Itoi
Institutions
- Nihon University (JP)
- Kanazawa Institute of Technology (JP)
- Nagasaki University (JP)
- Kitasato University (JP)
- The University of Tokyo (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Marine Biotechnology
- Published
- 2024-10-02
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-024-10377-x
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.25
Funders
- Nihon University
- Institute of Nature and Environmental Technology, Kanazawa University
- Kanazawa University
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
- Japan Science and Technology Agency