The dynamics of cortisol level and Na+/K+-ATPase activity that are associated with the maintenance of cell ion homeostasis was studied in skeletal muscles of juvenile circumpolar fish daubed shanny Leptoclinus maculatus (Fries, 1838), an ecologically significant representative of the ichthyofauna of the Arctic Svalbard Archipelago. It was established that the level of cortisol and Na+/K+-ATPase activity decrease during the development of daubed shanny juveniles from stage L2 pelagic juveniles to stage L5 juveniles, which are mainly demersal. The results obtained suggest that cortisol may be involved in the regulation of the activity of one of the main osmoregulatory factors, Na+/K+-ATPase. This may be important for the growth and adaptation of pelagic juveniles of daubed shanny to the demersal habitat during postembryonic development in the Arctic.
Keywords: Arctic; Leptoclinus maculatus; Na+/K+-ATPase; cortisol; ontogeny.
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