Two species from the families Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae, Russian sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, Brandt and Ratzeberg, 1833; functional tetraploid) and American paddlefish (Polyodon spathula, Walbaum 1792, functional diploid) were hybridized. The hybridization was repeated using eggs from three sturgeon and sperm from four paddlefish individuals. Survival in all hybrid family groups ranged from 62% to 74% 30 days after hatching. This was the first successful hybridization between these two species and between members of the family Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae. Flow cytometry and chromosome analysis revealed two ploidy levels in hybrids. The chromosome numbers of the hybrids ranged between 156–184 and 300–310, in “functional” triploids and “functional” pentaploids, respectively. The hybrid origin and the ploidy levels were also confirmed by microsatellite analyses. In hybrids, the size and the number of dorsal and ventral scutes correlated with the ploidy levels as well as with the calculated ratio of the maternal and paternal chromosome sets. An extra haploid cell lineage was found in three hybrid individuals irrespective of the ploidy level, suggesting polyspermy. Although the growth performance showed high variance in hybrids (mean: 1.2 kg, SD: 0.55), many individuals reached a size of approximately 1 kg by the age of one year under intensive rearing conditions.

Retinoids – derivatives of vitamin A – are important cell permeant signaling molecules that regulate gene expression through activation of nuclear receptors. P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and ABCG2 are plasma membrane efflux transporters affecting the tissue distribution of numerous structurally unrelated lipophilic compounds. In the present work we aimed to study the interaction of the above ABC transporters with retinoid derivatives. We have found that 13-cis-retinoic acid, retinol and retinyl-acetate inhibited the Pgp and ABCG2 mediated substrate transport as well as the substrate stimulated ATPase activity of these transporters. Interestingly, 9-cis-retinoic acid and ATRA (all-trans retinoic acid), both are stereoisomers of 13-cis-retinoic acid, did not have any effect on the transporters’ activity. Our fluorescence anisotropy measurements revealed that 13-cis-retinoic acid, retinol and retinyl-acetate selectively increase the viscosity and packing density of the membrane. Thus, the mixed-type inhibition of both transporters by retinol and ABCG2 by 13-cis-retinoic acid may be the collective result of direct interactions of these retinoids with the substrate binding site(s) and of indirect interactions mediated by their membrane rigidifying effects.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp, ABCB1) is a member of one of the largest families of active transporter proteins called ABC transporters. Thanks to its expression in tissues with barrier functions and its broad substrate spectrum, it is an important determinant of the absorption, metabolism and excretion of many drugs. Pgp and/or some other drug transporting ABC proteins (e.g., ABCG2, MRP1) are overexpressed in nearly all cancers and cancer stem cells by which cancer cells become resistant against many drugs. Thus, Pgp inhibition might be a strategy for fighting against drug-resistant cancer cells. Previous studies have shown that certain polyphenols interact with human Pgp. We tested the effect of 15 polyphenols of sour cherry origin on the basal and verapamil-stimulated ATPase activity of Pgp, calcein-AM and daunorubicin transport as well as on the conformation of Pgp using the conformation sensitive UIC2 mAb. We found that quercetin, quercetin-3-glucoside, narcissoside and ellagic acid inhibited the ATPase activity of Pgp and increased the accumulation of calcein and daunorubicin by Pgp-positive cells. Cyanidin-3O-sophoroside, catechin, naringenin, kuromanin and caffeic acid increased the ATPase activity of Pgp, while they had only a weaker effect on the intracellular accumulation of fluorescent Pgp substrates. Several tested polyphenols including epicatechin, trans-ferulic acid, oenin, malvin and chlorogenic acid were ineffective in all assays applied. Interestingly, catechin and epicatechin behave differently, although they are stereoisomers. We also investigated the effect of quercetin, naringenin and ellagic acid added in combination with verapamil on the transport activity of Pgp. In these experiments, we found that the transport inhibitory effect of the tested polyphenols and verapamil was additive or synergistic. Generally, our data demonstrate diverse interactions of the tested polyphenols with Pgp. Our results also call attention to the potential risks of drug–drug interactions (DDIs) associated with the consumption of dietary polyphenols concurrently with chemotherapy treatment involving Pgp substrate/inhibitor drugs.

We studied the effect of different magnitudes (7000 PSI (48.26 MPa), 8000 PSI (55.16 MPa), and 9000 PSI (62.05 MPa)) of hydrostatic pressure on the ploidy of pikeperch larvae. Pressure shock was applied 5 min after the fertilization of eggs at a water temperature of 14.8 ± 1 °C. A 7000 PSI pressure shock was applied for 10 or 20 min, while 8000 and 9000 PSI treatments lasted for 10 min. Each treatment with its respective control was completed in triplicate, where different females’ eggs served as a replicate. In the treatment groups exposed to 7000 PSI for 10 min, only diploid and triploid larvae were identified, while 2n/3n mosaic individuals were found after a 20-min exposure to a 7000 PSI pressure shock. The application of 8000 or 9000 PSI pressure shocks resulted in only triploid and mosaic individuals. Among larvae from eggs treated with 8000 PSI, three mosaic individuals with 2n/3n karyotype were identified (4.0 ± 6.9%), while a single (2.0 ± 3.5%) 1n/3n mosaic individual was found in the 9000 PSI-treated group. To our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates the induction of a haplo-triploid karyotype by hydrostatic pressure shock in teleost fish. The dominance of triploid individuals with a reasonable survival rate (36.8 ± 26.1%) after 8000 PSI shock supports the suitability of the hydrostatic pressure treatment of freshly fertilized eggs for triploid induction in pikeperch.