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In vitro and in vivo investigations of the excretory function of the rectal caeca in the asteroid Asterias rubens (Echinodermata)
Warnau, M.; Jangoux, M. (1999). In vitro and in vivo investigations of the excretory function of the rectal caeca in the asteroid Asterias rubens (Echinodermata). Comp. Biochem. Physiol., Part A Mol. Integr. Physiol. 123(3): 263-267. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1095-6433(99)00058-6
In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A. Molecular and Integrative Physiology. Elsevier: New York. ISSN 1095-6433; e-ISSN 1531-4332, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keywords
    Asterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758 [WoRMS]; Echinodermata [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    excretion; Asterias rubens; echinodermata; rectal caeca; chlorophenolred; patent blue V; para-aminohippuric acid

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Abstract
    In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that the rectal caeca of the asteroid Asterias rubens selectively and actively excrete patent blue V (PBV) from the individual body cavity towards the gut lumen, a function already shown for another water-soluble dye (chlorophenol red, CPR) in several echinoderm species (including A. rubens). (These dyes are both known to be selectively and actively excreted by the vertebrate kidney.) Aquarium experiments were conducted in order to characterize in vivo CPR and PBV excretion kinetics in A. rubens. Dye eliminations were determined and were shown to be partly inhibited by para-aminohippuric acid (PAH), a competitive inhibitor of CPR transport in asteroid rectal caeca as well as in mammalian renal proximal tubules. The results show that the in vivo method is reliable and complements in vitro investigations. In particular, due to preservation of the organs’ integrity, the method preserves rectal caeca epithelium from rapid autolyse and allows the design of long-term experiments to study echinoderm excretion.

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