The conus arteriosus of the adult gilthead seabream (Sparus auratus).

This paper reports on the presence of the conus arteriosus in the heart of the adult gilthead seabream, Sparus auratus (Perciformes, Teleostei). The junctional region between the single ventricle and the bulbus arteriosus has been studied by conventional light microscopy, and by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. In addition, fluorescent phalloidin and antibodies against the muscle myosin heavy chains, laminin and collagen type IV have been used. The conus arteriosus is a distinct muscular segment interposed between the ventricle and the bulbus arteriosus. It is clearly different from the bulbus arteriosus due to its myocardial nature. It can also be distinguished from the ventricular myocardium because: (1) it has a conus shape; (2) it is formed by compact, well-vascularized myocardium; (3) it is surrounded on its inner and outer faces by fibrous layers rich in collagen and elastin; (4) it constitutes the anatomical support of the so-termed conus valves; (5) it shows intense staining for laminin and type-IV collagen; and (6) the myocardial cells located close to the inner fibrous layer are helicoidally arranged. By contrast, the ventricular myocardium is highly trabecular, lacks a compacta, shows no vessels, and presents barely detectable amounts of laminin and collagen type IV. The presence of a distinct conus arteriosus in the heart of an evolutionary advanced teleost species indicates that the conus is not a vestigial segment from the evolutionary or embryological points of view. The characteristic spatial arrangement of the conus myocytes strongly suggests that the conus is implicated in the mechanical performance of the conus valves.

Coronary artery anomalies and aortic valve morphology in the Syrian hamster.

In the Syrian hamster, anomalies in the origin of the left coronary artery are significantly associated with the bicuspid condition of the aortic valve. In this species, bicuspid aortic valves are expressions of a trait, the variation of which takes the form of a phenotypic continuum, ranging from a tricuspid aortic valve with no commissural fusion to a bicuspid aortic valve with the aortic sinuses located in ventrodorsal orientation and devoid of any raphe. The intermediate stages of the continuum are represented by tricuspid aortic valves with a more or less extensive fusion of the ventral commissure and bicuspid aortic valves with a more or less developed raphe located in the ventral aortic sinus. The present study was designed to decide whether there is a gap between tricuspid and bicuspid aortic valves regarding the incidence of coronary artery anomalies, or whether this incidence varies according to the different tricuspid and bicuspid morphotypes of the continuum. The study was carried out in Syrian hamsters belonging to a single inbred family with a high incidence of tricuspid aortic valves with fusion of the ventral commissure, bicuspid aortic valves, and anomalies in the origin of the left coronary artery, i.e. single right coronary artery ostium in aorta, anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery, and anomalous origin of the left coronary artery from the dorsal aortic sinus. The specimens were examined by means of a stereomicroscope and, in several cases, scanning electron microscopy was also used. The relationships between anomalous coronary artery patterns and aortic valve morphologies were tested using a logistic regression model. The results obtained indicate that there is no discontinuity between tricuspid and bicuspid aortic valves regarding the incidence of coronary artery anomalies. The probability of occurrence of anomalous coronary artery patterns increases continuously according to the deviation degree of the aortic valve from its normal (tricuspid) design. The present findings suggest that in the Syrian hamster, the morphogenetic mechanisms involved in the formation of congenital anomalous aortic valves and anomalies in the origin of the left coronary artery, respectively, are strongly related from an aetiological viewpoint.

Anatomy and development of the sinoatrial valves in the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula).

BACKGROUND: We describe the adult anatomy and the development of the cardiac sinoatrial valves in the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula). METHODS: We use scanning electron microscopy, histological and histochemical techniques in 39 hearts from embryos and adult specimens. RESULTS: The sinoatrial valvular set of the adult dogfish is composed of two transverse valves laterally attached to the sinoatrial junction at their bases. Both valves are composed of two muscular layers, the sinusal and the atrial, whose histological features are similar to the cardiac wall which they face. Collagen bundles, elastic fibers and fibroblasts are present between the muscular layers. The extracellular matrix between the valvular layers also contains sulphated and non-sulphated glycosaminoglycans. The sinoatrial valves develop from two lateral infoldings of the cardiac wall. The left fold is deeper than the right, causing a shift of the sinoatrial communication to the right. The epicardium progressively covers the outer sinoatrial groove and the space between the folds becomes populated by mesenchymal cells. The posterior atrioventricular endocardial cushion is in contact with the base of the left fold until the embryo has about 40 mm TL. CONCLUSIONS: The sinoatrial valves, in the dogfish, develop from lateral infoldings of the cardiac wall. This origin results in histological and histochemical differences between the two muscular layers which constitute the valves of the adult. The comparison of the sinoatrial valve morphogenesis between the dogfish and some higher vertebrates suggests that the right sinoatrial valve, but not the left, is homologous throughout the vertebrate phylogeny.

Anatomy and histology of the cardiac conal valves of the adult dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula).

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the structural arrangement of the cardiac conal valves in Elasmobranchs is scarce. The present study was designed to assess the anatomical and histological features of the conal valves of the dogfish as a starting point for further investigation of the mechanical properties of these valves. METHODS: The sample examined consisted of 31 adult dogfishes. The study was carried out using scanning electron microscopy and histological techniques for light microscopy. RESULTS: In the dogfish, the conus arteriosus contains two transverse rows of valves. The anterior row lies at the level of the conus-ventral aorta junction and is composed of three valves of similar size. The posterior row is near the conus-ventricular junction and consists of four valves, one of them very reduced in size. Each valve shows two components, namely, the leaflet and its supporting structure, the sinus. In the anterior valves, the length of the leaflets between their lateral attachments to the sinus wall is remarkably longer than the straight-line distance between the points of attachment. This allows each leaflet to close against the other two leaflets of the same row, even when the conus is relaxed. The leaflets of the posterior valves are anchored to the conus wall by means of tendinous cords and cannot practically bridge the lumen of the relaxed conus. Each leaflet has a stout central body in which the connective tissue is stratified in three layers: outer fibrosa, spongiosa, and inner fibrosa. The lateral parts of the leaflet mainly consist of a single fibrous layer that bifurcates into the outer and inner fibrosa layers of the central body. The sinus walls of the posterior valves are entirely made up of conal tissue, whereas those of the anterior valves incorporate an aortic component. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that the inner fibrosa and the fibrous lateral portions of the leaflets mainly bear the stress of pressure generated by blood backflow. The stretching of the leaflets in the radial direction may basically depend on the spongiosa, whereas the outer fibrosa determines the radial stiffness of the leaflets.

Development of the coronary arteries and cardiac veins in the dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula).

The development of the coronary system in the Dogfish was studied using light microscopy. The sample examined consisted of 44 embryos and four newborns. The chronology of events occurring during the process was referred to the total length (TL) of the specimens. The nourishment of the developing myocardium first takes place by means of intertrabecular sinusoids. This system is later switched to a circulation through coronary vessels. The cardiac veins develop earlier than the coronary arteries. The earliest evidence of development of heart vessels in the present sample was the appearance of a diverticulum from the sinus venosus in three embryos of 31 mm TL. This diverticulum outlined the future coronary sinus. Both the atrioventricular and conoventricular venous rings were completely developed in an embryo of 36 mm TL. Coronary artery vessels appeared for the first time in embryos of 40 mm TL. In these specimens, two arteries arose from the midventral hypobranchial artery and divide to give rise to the four coronary artery conal trunks. In a 51-mm TL embryo it was already possible to follow the course of the coronary arteries, from the hypobranchial artery to the conoventricular groove. All main coronary vessels were fully developed in embryos of more than 58 mm TL. However, the arteries supplying the atrium were firstly recorded in a newborn of 77 mm TL. Birth usually occurs when the shark reaches about 72-76 mm TL.

Anatomical studies of the coronary system in elasmobranchs: II. Coronary arteries in hexanchoid, squaloid, and carcharhinoid sharks.

Coronary artery anatomy was studied in 16 shark species belonging to 9 families of the orders Hexanchiformes, Squaliformes, and Carcharhiniformes. The study included 101 specimens and used an injection-corrosion technique that obtained internal casts of the main trunks and coronary arterial branches. The results showed 2 main patterns of coronary arterial arrangement: the dorsoventral coronary trunk pattern, shared by lamnoid and advanced carcharhinoid sharks, and the lateral coronary trunk pattern, shown by hexanchoid and squaloid sharks. Scyliorhinus and Galeus had intermediate arrangements of their vessels.

Anatomical studies of the coronary system in elasmobranchs: I. Coronary arteries in lamnoid sharks.

A study of the anatomy of coronary arteries has been done in five shark species of the order Lamniformes: Isurus oxyrinchus, Isurus paucus, Lamna nasus, Alopias superciliosus, and Alopias vulpinus. The study, which included 26 specimens, was carried out with the injection-corrosion technique, obtaining internal casts of the main trunks and coronary arterial branches. The results have shown a high degree of constancy in the coronary patterns in all species and a number of general features common to all of them, except for Alopias vulpinus. In this species, a mesh-like ventricular pattern of intramyocardial vessels was found instead of subepicardial ventricular coronary branches with a definite pattern. It was also shown that there is a wide range of variation among the species regarding the relative importance of the dorsal and ventral coronary trunks. Thus, Isurus oxyrinchus showed a clear predominance of the ventral coronary trunk, whereas in Alopias superciliosus, most of the ventricle was supplied by branches derived from the dorsal coronary trunk.