Browsing by Author "Dionísio, Gisela"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Diets affect skeletal development in zebrafish (Danio rerio)Publication . Dionísio, Gisela; Brito, A. B.; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.The zebrafish Danio rerio has recently emerged as an eminent vertebrate model for studyign genetics and development. Given the considerable importance of zebrafish as an experimental model, along with the significant economic costs associated with their large-scale use and maintenance of culturing facilities, it is to some extent surprising that their husbandry is poorly developed.
- Early axial and appendicular skeletal development of the meagre (Argyrosomus regius). A comparison of two rearing systemsPublication . Valles, E.; Cardeira Da Silva, João; Dionísio, Gisela; Estévez, A.; Pousão-Ferreira, P.; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.The meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is a new species for aquaculture with high economical value, presenting growth rates of 1 kg/year. Skeletal deformities generally appear in cultured larvae at early stages, reducing the value of the fish. The present study describes the osteological development of the vertebral column and fins in meagre larvae. Meagre larvae were obtained from wild broodstocks, kept at IRTA and IPIMAR, and induced to spawn using GnRHa injection.
- Effect of dietary vitamin K supplementation on skeletal development of Danio rerioPublication . Dionísio, Gisela; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.Nutritional imbalances affecting bone development have been implicated in the incidence of skeletal deformities, which are acknowledged to constitute one of the major constrains in the production of high quality fish. Several studies have focused on the identification of causes of deformities and associated them to factors such as rearing environment, nutrition and genetics. Among these, larval nutrition at first feeding is one of the key parameters affecting skeletogenesis during early development. Vitamin K (VK) is a liposoluble vitamin classically involved in blood coagulation, and until recently largely disregarded in aquaculture nutrition.
- Effect of egg incubation temperature on the occurrence of skeletal deformities in Solea senegalensisPublication . Dionísio, Gisela; Campos, C.; Valente, L. M. P.; Conceição, L. E. C.; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.Temperature is a factor known to have a marked influence on metabolism and consequently on development, inducing ontogenetic plasticity in fish larvae. In this study, three different temperatures (15, 18 and 21 C) were assayed during Solea senegalensis embryonic development prior to hatching. After hatching all larvae were reared at the same temperature (21.0 ± 0.1 C) until 30 days. We observed that lowering the incubation temperature from 21 to 15 C reduced the incidence of skeletal deformities from 80 to 60%. Intermediate incubation temperature (18 C), resulted in larvae that displayed a rate of abnormalities close to that observed at 15 C (64%). A similar typology of deformities was observed in fish from all rearing temperatures, with caudal vertebra being the most affected structures and with a low incidence of cranial and appendicular deformities. The effect of temperature in developmental plasticity will lead to osteological abnormalities mainly affecting the caudal vertebrae at 18 C (30%) and particularly the preural vertebra at 15 C (55%). Our results, clearly demonstrate a significant effect of water temperature during egg incubation on the skeletal development of Senegalese sole, indicating that 18 C is the most appropriated temperature. These findings highlight the importance of tightly controlling temperature regimes during the early development of S. senegalensis, and the need for optimizing rearing protocols in order to avoid skeletal disorders or impaired growth.
- Effect of warfarin in zebrafish (Danio rerio) bone formation during caudal fin regenerationPublication . Dionísio, Gisela; Bensimon-Brito, A.; Gavaia, Paulo J.; Cancela, LeonorIn the last decade, fish has emerged as an important organism for studies on skeletal development in vertebrates, and evidence has been accumulated showing that zebrafish is a suitable system to perform phenotype-based drug screens. The ability to regenerate epidermal injuries is a general feature of most organisms yet only a few can fully regenerate severed appendages comprising several different tissues. Zebrafish is one of the most used models for regeneration studies, creating a powerful tool to study de novo bone formation without affecting vital development processes.
- Effects of phylloquinone on Solea senegalensis skeletogenesisPublication . Gavaia, Paulo J.; Dionísio, Gisela; Conceição, L. E. C.; Hamre, K.; Cancela, LeonorSkeletogenesis is a continuous process occurring during fish larval development that is influenced by vitamin K VK, an essential factor for the correct formation of coagulation factors and skeletal matrix proteins. High levels of skeletal deformities are recorded in most commonly cultured species like the sparids, sea bass and flatfish like the Senegalese sole. The appearance of malformations takes place during the larval stages, when skeletal structures are forming.
- Osteology of the axial and appendicular skeletons of the meagre Argyrosomus regius (Sciaenidae) and early skeletal development at two rearing facilitiesPublication . Cardeira Da Silva, João; Vallés, R.; Dionísio, Gisela; Estévez, A.; Gisbert, Enric; Pousão-Ferreira, P.; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.The meagre (Argyrosomus regius) is a new species for aquaculture diversification, presenting a high economic value and a high growth rate, reaching 1 kg year)1. The occurrence of deformities, which generally appear in cultured larvae at early stages, is problematic for aquaculture since they reduce fish fitness and profitability. Knowledge about the stages of skeletal formation is essential to accurately assess deformities in hatchery produced fish. Here, we describe the osteology of the axial skeleton and unpaired fins of the meagre. Based on this data, the osteological development of meagre larvae reared at the IPIMAR and IRTA-SCR, under different rearing conditions, was compared. Although little literature is available on the osteology of teleosts from the same taxonomic group, the skeletal composition of the meagre is comparable to that of other Sciaenidae. All skeletal structures considered appeared at earlier stages in larvae reared at IPIMAR, which presented a more advanced skeletal development in comparison to larvae of comparable length reared at IRTA-SCR that were submitted to lower temperature and light intensity, and reduced photoperiod regimes.
- Revisiting in vivo staining with alizarin red S - a valuable approach to analyse zebrafish skeletal mineralization during development and regenerationPublication . Bensimon-Brito, A.; Cardeira Da Silva, João; Dionísio, Gisela; Huysseune, Ann; Cancela, Leonor; Witten, PaulBackground The correct evaluation of mineralization is fundamental for the study of skeletal development, maintenance, and regeneration. Current methods to visualize mineralized tissue in zebrafish rely on: 1) fixed specimens; 2) radiographic and μCT techniques, that are ultimately limited in resolution; or 3) vital stains with fluorochromes that are indistinguishable from the signal of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled cells. Alizarin compounds, either in the form of alizarin red S (ARS) or alizarin complexone (ALC), have long been used to stain the mineralized skeleton in fixed specimens from all vertebrate groups. Recent works have used ARS vital staining in zebrafish and medaka, yet not based on consistent protocols. There is a fundamental concern on whether ARS vital staining, achieved by adding ARS to the water, can affect bone formation in juvenile and adult zebrafish, as ARS has been shown to inhibit skeletal growth and mineralization in mammals. Results Here we present a protocol for vital staining of mineralized structures in zebrafish with a low ARS concentration that does not affect bone mineralization, even after repetitive ARS staining events, as confirmed by careful imaging under fluorescent light. Early and late stages of bone development are equally unaffected by this vital staining protocol. From all tested concentrations, 0.01 % ARS yielded correct detection of bone calcium deposits without inducing additional stress to fish. Conclusions The proposed ARS vital staining protocol can be combined with GFP fluorescence associated with skeletal tissues and thus represents a powerful tool for in vivo monitoring of mineralized structures. We provide examples from wild type and transgenic GFP-expressing zebrafish, for endoskeletal development and dermal fin ray regeneration.
- Skeletal development and performance of zebrafish Danio rerio (Hamilton, 1822) larvae and juvenile fish fed with different dietsPublication . Cardeira Da Silva, João; Dionísio, Gisela; Bensimon-Brito, A.; Cancela, Leonor; Gavaia, Paulo J.The appearance of skeletal deformities is a major problem associated to intensive, large-scale culture of fish species, affecting growth, development and ultimately, survival of produced fish. Although the mechanisms working behind it are still unclear, it is known that environmental, genetic and nutritional factors play fundamental roles. Given its importance as a vertebrate model to study skeleton-related diseases, the selection of an appropriate dietary protocol is a critical step in order to diminish the nutritional effect on bone and cartilage development.
- Skeletal quality in Senegalese sole: characterization of fish resulting from environmental and nutritional trialsPublication . Gavaia, Paulo J.; Dionísio, Gisela; Cardeira Da Silva, João; Cunha, M. E.; Pousão-Ferreira, P.; Conceição, L. E. C.; Cancela, LeonorThe Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) is characteristic from southern Europe and Mediterranean. It has recently been adapted for aquaculture production since it is well accepted by consumers and reaches high commercial values. After the initial description of the ontogenic events of skeletogenesis, systematic evaluation of the incidence of skeletal malformations by several groups revealed high levels of skeletal deformities reaching up to 90% of the population.