Re: L66 breed almost all have damaged pectoral fins
Posted: 10 Jan 2011, 17:55
Hi all,
I don't have any background in animal physiology, but I know someone who works on neural crest cell development in Zebra Danio (Danio rerio). I asked him about this question, and he says that this has been an area where a lot of work has been done (it may be relevant to stem cell work on potentially re-generating limbs in mammals). Apparently the ability of adult teleost fish to regenerate amputated appendages, is based on formation and maintenance of progenitor tissue called a "blastema".
I struggled to understand exactly what he was saying but I think the kernel of it was that the process of tissue differentiation for fin formation occurs very early in the embryo development, so the damage is definitely something that has happened subsequently to this. He thought that because the clipped fins were able to grow back in improved water quality (via the intact blastema cells), it is very likely that it was initially a problem with oxygen uptake and/or the transport of oxygen and that this lack of oxygen damaged the initial cell growth.
He also said that fin regeneration occurs from the distal stump of each fin ray, and that if these are intact as the correct genetic blueprint will be present the new fin that grows should be "normal".
cheers Darrel
I don't have any background in animal physiology, but I know someone who works on neural crest cell development in Zebra Danio (Danio rerio). I asked him about this question, and he says that this has been an area where a lot of work has been done (it may be relevant to stem cell work on potentially re-generating limbs in mammals). Apparently the ability of adult teleost fish to regenerate amputated appendages, is based on formation and maintenance of progenitor tissue called a "blastema".
I struggled to understand exactly what he was saying but I think the kernel of it was that the process of tissue differentiation for fin formation occurs very early in the embryo development, so the damage is definitely something that has happened subsequently to this. He thought that because the clipped fins were able to grow back in improved water quality (via the intact blastema cells), it is very likely that it was initially a problem with oxygen uptake and/or the transport of oxygen and that this lack of oxygen damaged the initial cell growth.
He also said that fin regeneration occurs from the distal stump of each fin ray, and that if these are intact as the correct genetic blueprint will be present the new fin that grows should be "normal".
cheers Darrel
