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Morphometric of blastomeres in Salmo salar
Brian R Effer1, Rubén R Sánchez1, Andrea M Ubilla1
1Universidad Católica de Temuco,Facultad de Recursos Naturales,Escuela de Acuicultura,Rudecindo Ortega 02950 Casilla 15-D,Temuco,Chile.
Zygote (Cambridge, England)
|March 20, 2013
Summary
This study characterized the initial blastomeres of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) embryos, identifying seven cleavage patterns. Some asymmetries may be corrected, but further research is needed to link these patterns to embryo quality.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Aquaculture
- Ichthyology
Background:
- Early embryonic development in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) lacks detailed morphological characterization of first blastomeres.
- Understanding early developmental stages is crucial for assessing embryo viability and gamete quality in aquaculture.
Purpose of the Study:
- To morphometrically characterize the first blastomeres of Salmo salar during early embryonic development.
- To establish a basis for a diagnostic tool to assess the initial stages of salmon development.
Main Methods:
- Collected and analyzed 100 microphotographs of Salmo salar blastodiscs incubated at 7.5°C at various time points (12, 14, 16, 20, 24 h).
- Classified blastodiscs morphologically into symmetric or asymmetric groups based on the length (L) to width (W) ratio.
- Compared analyzed blastodiscs with 20 control blastodiscs (CB) of normal appearance.
Main Results:
- First cleavage in Salmo salar concludes by 16 hours of development.
- Seven distinct blastomere categories were identified, with 47% classified as normal (G1) and the remaining 53% exhibiting various asymmetries (G2-G7).
- Observed asymmetries included dispersed margins, unequal sizes, 'pie-shaped' blastomeres, amorphous forms, and eccentric cleavage.
Conclusions:
- The study provides the first morphometric characterization of early blastomeres in Salmo salar.
- While the incidence of abnormal cleavage is unclear, some asymmetries may be compensated during embryogenesis.
- Further research is required to correlate these cleavage patterns with later embryo quality indicators for potential use in gamete and embryo assessment tools.
