Barrier cells in gills of the alligator gar.

Studies of barrier cells in fishes are few and have been restricted primarily to salmonids. Moreover, these studies revealed the presence of barrier cells only in hematopoietic and lymphoid organs. The alligator gar, Lepisosteus spatula, possesses similar tissues within the gills which are readily accessible; therefore, they were the organs of choice. An electron microscopical analysis of the gills was undertaken to determine if barrier cells exist and if they possess an ultrastructural design comparable to their counterparts in the brain and lungs of higher vertebrates and hematopoietic/lymphoid tissues in fishes. The present study revealed that barrier cells were found only within non-hematopoietic/lymphoid areas. Barrier cells surrounded endocrine components, nerves, and sinusoids rather than capillary endothelium or hematopoietic/lymphoid tissues. Barrier cells in the alligator gar displayed a complex envelopment more similar to those found in the blood-cerebrospinal fluid, blood-brain, and blood-gas barriers in higher vertebrates than in salmonids. The barrier in the alligator gar consisted of: (1) an endothelium whose cells displayed tight junctions; (2) a basement membrane; and (3) an outer adventitia composed of fibrocytic cells in syncytium.