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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Dissection of Larval Zebrafish Gonadal Tissue
Published on: April 26, 2017
Expression of histo-blood group antigens in vertebrate gonads
Elena S Tomova1, Victoria S Sarafian
1Department of Developmental Biology, University of Plovdiv P. Hilendarski, 24 Tsar Assen Str., Plovdiv 4000, Bulgaria. e_tomova@abv.bg
Abstract:
The tissue expression of human histo-blood group antigens (HBGA) in vertebrates, as well as their evolutionary tendencies and relation to histogenesis, especially in the reproductive system, are not entirely understood.The present research comprises a large-scale immunohistochemical study of HBGA A and B expression in ovaries and testicles of 14 species belonging to six classes of free-living vertebrates from Chondrichtyes to Mammalia .We present novel data for ABH antigen reactivity in reproductive organs of vertebrates which have not been studied so far. Our results suggest that HBGA are evolutionary stable structures, most possibly related to vitellogenesis in oocytes with high yolk content. The tendency observed in A and B antigen expression is mostly associated with the processes of gamete differentiation and vitellogenesis, rather than with the evolutionary development of vertebrate species.
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