Sites of calcium uptake of fish otoliths correspond with macular regions rich of carbonic anhydrase Original Research Article

Based on pharmacological data, it has been suggested that the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CAH) plays a prominent role in the mineralization of fish otoliths. To directly test this proposal, the topographical distribution of CAH was histochemically analyzed in the utricular and saccular maculae of larval cichlid fish Oreochromis mossambicus. Further investigations were focussed on the sites of otolithic calcium uptake using the fluorescent calcium tracer alizarin-complexone (AC). Both in the utricle and the saccule, CAH-reactivity was prominent in regions on both sides of the sensory macula (centrifugal (cf) and centripetal (cp) areas), which reportedly contain ionocytes, specialized cells regulating the ionic composition of the endolymph. (The terms centrifugal and centripetal were chosen instead of lateral and medial, because the saccule is positioned perpendicular to the utricle; “lateral” and “medial” thus do not allow an unambiguous allocation of the respective regions.) In the saccule, the size of cf and cp did not differ from each other, whereas, in the utricle, cp was considerably larger as compared to cf (CAH-reactivity per μm2 was nearly identical in both areas of both endorgans). AC-incubation resulted in a fluorescent band on the proximal surface of the otoliths (this surface lies next to the sensory epithelium). In saccular otoliths (sagittae), the area of the band did not differ between centrifugal and centripetal otolith regions, whereas in the utricular otoliths (lapilli), the area of the centripetal AC-band was larger in size as compared to the centrifugal one (AC-fluorescence per μm2 did not differ between the areas analyzed in both types of otoliths). These results strongly suggest that calcium/carbonate uptake of otoliths takes place especially in those regions of their proximal face which are located adjacent to CAH-rich areas of the macular epithelium. It is thus concluded that CAH is directly involved in otolith calcification. The differences in CAH-localization/AC-uptake in the two endorgans analyzed are discussed on the basis of their different functional properties (saccule, hearing; utricle, graviperception).