Unidentified cells reside in fish skeletal muscle

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture
• Cell Biology
• Fish Physiology

Background:

• Skeletal muscle cell culture is crucial for fish research and aquaculture.
• Optimizing cell isolation and propagation protocols is essential for obtaining viable cell lines from fish species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and characterize skeletal muscle cell cultures from rainbow trout and yellow perch.
• To evaluate different media and temperatures for cell isolation and propagation.
• To assess the potential for cryopreservation of these fish cell lines.

Main Methods:

• Skeletal muscle tissue from rainbow trout and yellow perch was used to establish cell cultures.
• Cells were cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) with 15% Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) or Leibovitz's L-15 medium with 15% FBS at species-specific temperatures (20°C for trout, 24°C for perch).
• Immunocytochemistry was used to identify cell types, and cryopreservation was attempted using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).

Main Results:

• Higher cell yields were obtained from younger fish.
• DMEM + 15% FBS supported better cell isolation and propagation compared to L-15 + 15% FBS.
• Two distinct cell types were observed, with one showing myotube formation and positive staining for myogenin, myosin heavy chain, and alpha-actinin.
• Cryopreservation using 5% DMSO resulted in low post-thawing viability (5-27% for trout, 14-30% for perch).

Conclusions:

• Rainbow trout and yellow perch skeletal muscle cells can be cultured, with younger fish providing higher yields.
• DMEM + 15% FBS is a more effective medium for culturing these cells.
• Further research is required to determine the specificity of the isolated cell types and improve cryopreservation techniques.