Haematological changes in Nile tilapia experimentally infected with Enterococcus sp.

This study evaluated the haematological changes in Nile tilapia experimentally infected with 1 x 10³ and 1 x 10(6) colony-forming units (CFU)/mL of Enterococcus sp. in the swim bladder. The experiment consisted of four treatments in triplicates: non-injected fish (NI); fish injected with 1 mL of sterile saline solution 0.65% (SAL); fish injected with 1 x 10³ and 1 x 10(6) CFU/mL of Enterococcus diluted in 1 mL sterile saline. Twenty-four hours after injection, the fish were anesthetized and the blood collected. The haematological tests included red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, hematocrit, number of total thrombocytes, and differential counting of WBC. Fish injected with 1 x 10(6) CFU/mL of Enterococcus showed a higher number of thrombocytes than the other treatments. White blood cell and lymphocyte numbers increased significantly in fish injected with 1 x 10(6) CFU/mL of Enterococcus when compared to non-injected control. There was significant increase in the number of neutrophils in saline injected fish and reduced number of monocytes after injections with 1 x 10(6) CFU/mL of Enterococcus. Hematocrit increased in fish injected with 1 x 10³ and 1 x 10(6) CFU/mL of Enterococcus

Microtubule Organization and Microtubule-Associated Proteins (MAPs)

Dendrites have a unique microtubule organization. In vertebrates, dendritic microtubules are organized in antiparallel bundles, oriented with their plus ends either pointing away or toward the soma. The mixed microtubule arrays control intracellular trafficking and local signaling pathways, and are essential for dendrite development and function. The organization of microtubule arrays largely depends on the combined function of different microtubule regulatory factors or generally named microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs). Classical MAPs, also called structural MAPs, were identified more than 20 years ago based on their ability to bind to and copurify with microtubules. Most classical MAPs bind along the microtubule lattice and regulate microtubule polymerization, bundling, and stabilization. Recent evidences suggest that classical MAPs also guide motor protein transport, interact with the actin cytoskeleton, and act in various neuronal signaling networks. Here, we give an overview of microtubule organization in dendrites and the role of classical MAPs in dendrite development, dendritic spine formation, and synaptic plasticity