title: Cell volume regulation in fish heart ventricles with special reference to taurine.
abstract: A review of the cell volume regulation mechanism in heart ventricles of teleosts reveal that the mechanism is not only restricted to euryhaline species in a changing salinity regime but also is manifested in fresh-water fish. Taurine is the dominating amino acid and the main cellular osmo-effector in teleost hearts (accounting for 40-50% of the osmolality change). During hypo-osmotic regulation, cellular taurine is reduced by an efflux from the cells, whereas intracellular synthesis of taurine most probably accompanies hyper-osmotic regulation. Vertebrate hearts seem to have a high concentration of taurine and it may in general in vertebrate hearts also play a pivotal role in cellular osmoregulatory function.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005399:Fishes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013654:Taurine / Q000378:metabolism*; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine