Novel spikey ionocytes are regulated by cortisol in the skin of an amphibious fish

Abstract

Cortisol is a major osmoregulatory hormone in fishes. Cortisol acts upon the gills, the primary site of ionoregulation, through modifications to specialized ion-transporting cells called ionocytes. We tested the hypothesis that cortisol also acts as a major regulator of skin ionocyte remodelling in the amphibious mangrove rivulus (Kryptolebias marmoratus) when gill function ceases during the water-to-land transition. When out of water, K. marmoratus demonstrated a robust cortisol response, which was linked with the remodelling of skin ionocytes to increase cell cross-sectional area and Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA) content, but not when cortisol synthesis was chemically inhibited by metyrapone. Additionally, we discovered a novel morphology of skin-specific ionocyte that are spikey with multiple cell processes. Spikey ionocytes increased in density, cell cross-sectional area and NKA content during air exposure, but not in metyrapone-treated fish. Our findings demonstrate that skin ionocyte remodelling during the water-to-land transition in amphibious fish is regulated by cortisol, the same hormone that regulates gill ionocyte remodelling in salinity-challenged teleosts, suggesting conserved hormonal function across diverse environmental disturbances and organs in fishes.