Isolation of a FIP2-like gene from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), found upregulated following infection with the monogenean parasite Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957

The aim of this study was to determine the in vitro influence of microcystin-LR on the viability and mitogenic response of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) lymphocytes since few data are available in the literature on the influence of cyanotoxins on fish immunocompetent cells. Lymphocytes were isolated from blood and haematopoietic organs (pronephros and spleen) and cultivated in RPMI 1640 medium with different concentrations of the toxin (1, 5, 10, 20, 40 mg ml−1 of cell suspension). Dose-dependent effects of microcystin-LR on the lymphocyte viability were shown. The lymphocyte proliferation was inhibited after application of microcystin at a concentration of 40 mg ml−1 but significantly increased at a concentration of 1 mg ml−1 in comparison to the control group. The results suggest the modulatory effects of microcystin-LR dependent on the applied concentration.