Ammonia excretion and expression of transport proteins in the gills and skin of the intertidal fish Lipophrys pholis

Intertidal pools are intensely challenging environments, due to rapid and extreme fluctuations in water conditions during the tidal cycle. Emersion is another challenge intertidal fishes may face. Mechanisms of ammonia excretion and ion regulation were studied in the resident amphibious blennid Lipophrys pholis. The ammonia transporters Rhcg1 and Rhcg2 were cloned and characterized. Fish were challenged for 24 h to 1) emersion, 2) fresh water (FW), and 3) high environmental ammonia (HEA; 1 mM NH4Cl), or 4) ammonia loading (1.5 μmol/g NH4HCO3). When air exposed, L. pholis maintained aquatic ammonia excretion rates (JAmm) while branchial Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) activity increased, but no changes at the protein or mRNA levels of transporters were noted. In FW, JAmm decreased and osmotic problems were encountered. Skin NKA activity decreased, branchial Rhcg2, and skin Rhcg1 and Rhcg2 increased. Exposure to HEA only increased branchial Rhcg2 levels. Although internal ammonia loading only led to a modest non-significant increase in JAmm, skin NKA (activity and α-subunit), carbonic anhydrase protein levels, and branchial Rhcg1 levels increased. In summary, variable responses were observed involving both gill and skin but given the instability of its habitat, the constitutive expression of transporters is likely also of importance.