Morpho-histochemical adaptations of the digestive tract in Gangetic mud-eel Ophichthys cuchia (Hamilton 1822) support utilization of mud-dwelling prey

Verma, Chandani R.; Gorule, Pankaj A.; Kumkar, Pradeep; Kharat, Sanjay S.; Gosavi, Sachin M.

doi:10.1016/j.acthis.2020.151602

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…The digestive systems of vertebrates have the classic function of transforming complex, non-absorbable food into simple, absorbable forms [ 1 ]. According to their distinct feeding habits, diets, and environments, fishes exhibit specific morphological characteristics of the digestive tract and specialized functions necessary to obtain food and survive [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on catfish ( Pachypterus khavalchor ) reported that the structure of digestive tract was related to a scale-eating habit [ 5 ]. In addition, the structure and function of the digestive tract in the Gangetic mud-eel ( Ophichthys cuchia ) supported its utilization of mud-dwelling prey [ 1 ]. Thus, it is necessary to investigate the morphofunctional characteristics of the pharyngeal sac to provide a theoretical basis for P. argenteus farming.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Morphological and Molecular Functional Evidence of the Pharyngeal Sac in the Digestive Tract of Silver Pomfret, Pampus argenteus

Jiang

Xie

et al. 2023

IJMS

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The pharyngeal sac is a comparatively rare organ in the digestive tract among teleost fishes. However, our understanding of this remarkable organ in the silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus) is limited. In the present study, we examined the various morphological and histological characteristics of the pharyngeal sac using histochemical techniques and electron microscopy. The pharyngeal sac showed unique characteristics such as well-developed muscular walls, weakly keratinized epithelium, numerous goblet cells, and needle-like processes on the papillae. The porous cavity of the papillae contained numerous adipocytes and was tightly enveloped by type I collagen fibers. These structures might provide mechanical protection and excellent biomechanical properties for grinding and shredding prey. A comparison of gene expression levels between the pharyngeal sac and esophagus using RNA-seq showed that phenotype-associated genes (epithelial genes and muscle genes) were upregulated, whereas genes related to nutrient digestion and absorption were downregulated in the pharyngeal sac. These results support the role of the pharyngeal sac in shredding and predigesting food. Overall, these findings provide a clearer understanding of the pharyngeal sac morphology and explain the morphological adaptations of the digestive tract for feeding on gelatinous prey. To our knowledge, this is the first report on pharyngeal sac gene expression in P. argenteus.

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