Cellular Homeostasis
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| Cross talk between pHi (Fig.B) and proton secretion rate (Fig.A) in response to an increase in [Ca2+]i (Fig.C) induced by thapsigargin (specific inhibitor of endoplasmic reticulum Calcium ATPase) |
Research in this area focuses on the physiology of fish cells and tissues in vitro to gain knowledge about adaptational abilites of fish to environmental stressors. Primary cell cultures of liver cells Cells attempt to keep their internal milieu in a homeostatic equilibrium. Stress-related deviations from this steady state situation typically induce specific responses in order to return to a homeostatic situation. We try to disentangle these regulatory processes, focusing especially on the interrelationship between ionic, volume and metabolic homeostasis of cells and cellular compartments. In our studies we mainly address the effect of changing environmental salinity or oxygen tensions, considering also the importance of cell-cell contacts in this context. Primary and cell lines of both trout and zebrafish are used as experimental models. By applying state-of-the-art research tools this research group combines a diverse expertise in primary cell culture, live-cell measurement and imaging techniques.
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| Immunohistochemical analysis of gill cells on permeable support in symmetrical culture. Triple staining of cultures for F-actin with Alexa Fluor 488 phalloidin (green), for tight junctions with an anti-claudin 28b antibody (red) and for cell nuclei with Hoechst 33342 (blue). Note the colocalization of F-actin and claudin 28b in the cell-cell contact areas and the absence of such structures in cells of the serosal layers. Scale bar: 50 μm. |
Members of this workgroup
