The Dermal Glands of Rhodnius Prolixus

1969 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 258-259
Author(s):  
J. E. Lai-Fook
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Rhodnius Prolixus ◽  
Outermost Layer ◽  
Cement Layer ◽  
Dermal Glands

Dermal glands are epidermal derivatives which are reported to secrete either the cement layer, which is the outermost layer of the epicuticle or some component of the moulting fluid which digests the endocuticle. The secretions do not show well-defined staining reactions and therefore they have not been positively identified. This has contributed to another difficulty, namely, that of determining the time of secretory activity. This description of the fine structure of the developing glands in Rhodnius was undertaken to determine the time of activity, with a view to investigating their function.

scholarly journals The epicuticle in an insect, Rhodnius prolixus (Hemiptera)

1947 ◽  
Vol 134 (875) ◽  
pp. 163-181 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Rhodnius Prolixus ◽  
Epidermal Cells ◽  
Continuous Film ◽  
Cement Layer ◽  
Dermal Glands ◽  
Pore Canals

The ʻepicuticle’ in Rhodnius consists of four layers. From within outwards these are: (i) the ‘cuticulin layer’ composed, it is suggested, of polymerized lipoproteins tanned by quinones; (ii) the ‘polyphenol layer’ rich in dihydroxyphenols; (iii) the ‘wax layer’ responsible for the waterproofing of the cuticle; (iv) the ‘cement layer’ of unknown nature protecting the wax. The pore canals appear to penetrate the cuticulin layer. The oenocytes produce the lipoproteins which are deposited by the epidermal cells to form the cuticulin layer. The polyphenols then appear at the tips of the pore canals as minute droplets which unite to form a continuous film over the surface of the cuticulin. The wax is then secreted, also by the epidermal cells, and laid down over the polyphenol layer immediately before the old skin is shed. The cement is secreted by the dermal glands and poured out over the surface of the wax within an hour after moulting. The storage and use of the reserves of glycogen, fat and protein during the moulting process are described.

The Fine Structure of the Respiratory Tree in Cucumaria

1964 ◽  
Vol s3-105 (69) ◽  
pp. 7-11
Author(s):  
WILLIAM L. DOYLE ◽  
G. FRANCES McNIELL
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Muscle Fibres ◽  
Coelomic Epithelium ◽  
Free Surfaces ◽  
Respiratory Tree ◽  
Synchronous Contraction

The delicate tubules of the respiratory tree consist of 4 layers: a lining epithelium, a thick mucoid layer containing collagenous filaments, a smooth muscle net, and a coelomic epithelium. The free surfaces of both epithelia have well developed plasmodesms. Amoebocytes are present in all layers and the spherules of one type are considered to be precursors of the mucoid substance; another amoebocyte may be a fibroblast. Perpendicularly oriented smooth muscle fibres, as well as those parallel to each other, are linked by desmosomes ensuring synchronous contraction. Secretory activity is evident in distended cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum of certain epithelial cells and in the vacuoles of the lining epithelium.

Fine structure of the external egg membrane of five species of Pacific salmon and steelhead trout

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 552-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Groot ◽  
D. F. Alderdice
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Chum Salmon ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Salmo Gairdneri ◽  
Membrane Thickness ◽  
Steelhead Trout ◽  
Outermost Layer ◽  
Additional Layer ◽  
Egg Membrane ◽  
Pore Canals

Fine structure of the external egg membrane of five species of Pacific salmon (sockeye, Oncorhynchus nerka; pink, O. gorbuscha; chum, O. keta; coho, O. kisutch; and chinook, O. tshawytscha) and the anadromous steelhead trout (Salmo gairdneri), is examined and compared using the scanning electron microscope. Membrane thickness in fixed material varies for the six species as follows (micrometres, [Formula: see text]): sockeye, 34.15 ± 0.15; pink, 61.64 ± 1.53; chum, 53.05 ± 0.33; coho, 27.96 ± 0.48; chinook, 50.82 ± 0.74; steelhead, 30.74 ± 0.11. The membrane consists of a thin outermost layer, the externus, 0.2–0.3 μm thick, and the internus, 24–55 μm thick, which constitutes the remainder of the membrane. In sockeye, pink, and chum salmon and steelhead trout, an additional layer 3–8 μm thick, the "subinternus," occurs beneath the internus. The entire membrane appears fibrous except for the thin and apparently solid externus. Pores in both the inner and outer surfaces are arranged in a hexagonal pattern and are connected by pore canals traversing the membrane. Except in the sockeye, plugs commonly were seen blocking the external openings of the pore canals. Significance of the egg membrane fine structure is considered in relation to several of its roles in the water-activated egg: semipermeability, retention of internal pressure, and mechanical protection. A structural and functional analogy is drawn between the fine structure of the salmonid egg membrane and the mammalian aorta.

The fine structure of the protonephridial system in the miracidium of Fasciola hepatica

Parasitology ◽  
1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Fine Structure ◽  
Excretory Pore ◽  
Fasciola Hepatica ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Terminal Region

The fine structure of the flame cells, tubules and excretory pore of the miracidium of Fasciola hepatica are described. The tubules are formed from the flattened surfaces of cells rolled round and joined at their tips by a desmosome. Vesicles are present in the wall of the tubule, possibly indicating secretory activity. Clubshaped microvilli are present only in the terminal region near the excretory pore. Possible functions of the system are discussed.

The Brindley's glands of Rhodnius prolixus. I. Structure of the mature gland

1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1109-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. M. Barrett ◽  
B. F. Millen ◽  
J. Lai-Fook
Keyword(s):  
Microscopic Study ◽  
Electron Microscopic Study ◽  
Functional Significance ◽  
Type A ◽  
Rhodnius Prolixus ◽  
Type B ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Dermal Glands ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Secretory Apparatus

A detailed light and electron microscopic study of the Brindley's glands of adult Rhodnius prolixus has confirmed the presence of type B glandular units similar to those described for the dermal glands of Rhodnius and has identified the second type A glandular unit, also composed of secretory apparatus, saccule, and duct, but outnumbered approximately 18:1 by the type B units. Similarities and differences between type A and type B glandular units are described and the possible functional significance of the two types of unit is discussed.

scholarly journals The Thoracic Gland in Rhodnius Prolixus (Hemiptera) and Its Role in Moulting

1952 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 561-570
Author(s):  
V. B. WIGGLESWORTH
Keyword(s):  
Critical Period ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Rhodnius Prolixus ◽  
Diffuse Layer ◽  
Moulting Hormone ◽  
The Brain

The ‘moulting hormone’ in Rhodnius is composite. The factor secreted in the dorsum of the brain activates a gland in the thorax which then produces the factor initiating growth and moulting. Implantation of the thoracic gland will induce moulting in the isolated abdomen; implantation of the brain is effective only if the thorax is intact. This system agrees with that described in Lepidoptera and Diptera and is probably widespread in insects. The thoracic gland in Rhodnius consists of a loose network of very large cells, richly supplied with tracheae, spread as a single diffuse layer over the surface of the inner lobes of the thoracic fat-body. These cells go through a cycle of secretory activity which reaches its peak during the critical period. They break down and disappear within 2 days after the insect becomes adult. The adult Rhodnius is caused to moult by implantation of the thoracic gland from a moulting larva; it is not caused to moult by implantation of the brain.

scholarly journals OBSERVATIONS ON THE FINE STRUCTURE OF LUTEIN CELLS

1962 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen C. Enders
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Fine Structure ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
Osmium Tetroxide ◽  
Secretory Activity ◽  
Corpora Lutea ◽  
Pericapillary Space ◽  
Lutein Cell

Corpora lutea from the period of delayed implantation and from early postimplantation stages of the armadillo, mink, and rat were fixed in buffered osmium tetroxide-sucrose or potassium permanganate. After rapid dehydration, the portions of the corpora lutea were embedded in either methacrylate or epoxy resin. Examination of the lutein cells by electron microscopy revealed the presence, in the better preserved material, of an extensive development of tubular agranular endoplasmic reticulum. Although the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum are the most striking feature of the lutein cells of both stages of the three animals examined, very numerous large mitochondria with cristae that exhibit a variety of forms tending toward villiform, and protrusions and foldings of the lutein cell margins on the pericapillary space are also characteristic of these cells. Certain minor differences in the lutein cells of the species examined are also noted. No indications of conversion of mitochondria into lipid, of accumulation of lipid in the Golgi area, or of the protrusion of lutein cells into spaces between the endothelial cells, as suggested by other authors, were noted in these preparations. Some of the difficulties inherent in the visualization of the secretory activity of cells producing steroid hormones are briefly discussed.

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