Ontogeny of immune system organs in northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis, Temminck and Schlegel 1844) |
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| Authors: | M Watts K Kato B L Munday & C M Burke |
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| Institution: | Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, School of Aquaculture, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia and CRC for Aquaculture, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia;Fisheries Laboratory of Kinki University, Wakayama, Japan;University of Tasmania, School of Biomedical Science, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia |
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| Abstract: | Serial sections, prepared from 0.5 to 30 days posthatch (dph) larval and juvenile Thunnus orientalis (Temminck & Schlegel 1844), were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and examined by light microscopy for immune organ development. The early kidney was present at 0.5 dph, undifferentiated stem cells began to appear at 2 dph, and by 7 dph occasional small lymphocytes were present. The thymus was first obvious at 5 dph, located above the fourth branchial arch, small lymphocytes appeared at 7 dph, and by 15 dph an outer thymocytic zone and an inner epithelioid zone were visible. The progenitor spleen was present at 2 dph, located close to the gut, and by 12 dph it consisted of a mass of sinusoids filled with red blood cells, and remained mainly erythroid throughout the period studied. These results suggest that development of immune organs in this species is precocious relative to other marine teleosts. |
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| Keywords: | kidney northern bluefin tuna ontogeny spleen Thunnus orientalis thymus |
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