Bacterioids in the Rectal Organ of the Lantern Dug Pyrops Candelaria Linn (Homoptera: Fulgoridae)

The lantern bug harbours three symbionts, namely a, x and i in its body. These microorganisms are supposed to be transmitted transovarially to the future progeny. The x-symbionts are found in a special pair of organs called the x-organ which bulges to form a rectal organ in adult females. The purpose of this study is to investigate into the fine structure of the x-symbionts. This will serve as a basis for understanding the interactions of this microorganism with its host.The rectum of the lantern bug Pyrops candelaria Linn, was dissected out in buffered insect saline and fixed in 2.5% glutaradehyde in 0.1M sodium cacodylate buffer (pH 7.2) for 1 hr. The rectal organ was subsequently post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide (pH 7.2) and dehydrated in alcohol/acetone series. These were blocked in Spurr resin and cut with a Reichert Ultratome. Sections were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined with a JEOL JEM-1200EX electron microscope. Thick sections (1 μn) were stained with 1% toluidine blue and examined under a Nikon Optiphot light microscope.

Microscopic studies of Procamallanus elatensis, a parasite in siganids, Red Sea fish in Egypt

Camallanidae is a common nematode family found in a variety of Red Sea fish. Procamallanids were found to be specific to Siganus luridus and S. rivulatus which are considered to be commercially important fish. Procamallanus elatensis collected from Siganids in the northern Gulf of Elat were first described by Fusco and Overstreet using light microscopy, This report includes the first SEM description of Camallanid nematodes.The parasites were washed in 7% saline and saved in 7% formalin until brought to Brigham Young University.They were washed with sodium cacodylate buffer (pH. 7.2), fixed in OSO4 for 12 hr, washed in cacodylate buffer, immersed into 2% tannic acid for 8 hr, washed in buffer, fixed again in OSO4 for 2 hr, washed in buffer, dehydrated with critical point drying and coated with gold.Adult worms were long, slender, and reddish in color. At the anterior end the mouth was round and surrounded by the cephalic plate.

Site of hemocyanin synthesis in the terrestrial isopod, Armadillidiom vulgare

Although hemocyanin, an oxygen binding protein, is found freely dissolved in the hemolymph of isopods its site of synthesis is still unknown.Circulating blood cel Is such as granular hemocytes have been implicated in hemocyanin synthesis in a number of arthropods including Astacus astacus and Homarus vulgaris. Circulating blood cells of Armadillidium vulgare were examined using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for evidence of hemocyanin synthesis.For each experiment hemolymph was collected from twenty adult A. vulgare and fixed for 1 hour in 200 uL of 3.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M sodium cacodylate buffer pH 7.4 with 0.05% calcium chloride added. Hemolymph was then centrifuged at 3000 rpm in an IEC-DPR-6000 centrifuge for 15 minutes at 15 degrees centigrade. The supernatant was removed, and the resulting pellet was washed with three changes of sodium cacodylate buffer. Postfixation of the pellet was done in 1% osmium tetroxide for 1 hour.

Localization of heavy metals in the hepatopancreas of the terrestrial isopod, Oniscus asellus

Heavy metals have been identified in tissues of a variety of terrestrial isopods exposed to metal polluted sites in Europe. Heavy metals have little effect on some isopods indicating that perhaps the hepatopancreas functions as a detoxifying organ for the isopod by storing the metal. In some lead and copper contaminated rivers tolerant races of the isopod Asellus meridianus were found.Specimens of Oniscus asellus were collected from a cadmium contaminated site adjacent to a marsh in Cold Spring, N. Y. and from an uncontaminated site in New Rochelle, N. Y. Isopods and leaf letter were transported to the lab where some isopods were prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and others were prepared for atomic absorption spectroscopy. For SEM the hepatopancreatic lobes were fixed in 3,5% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M sodium cacodylate buffer with 0.05% calcium chloride. Specimens were dehydrated in acetone and embedded in Araldite-DDSA. Five micron thick cross sections were deplasticized and gold coated - Sections were viewed and analyzed using an Hitachi S-510 SEM at 25kV with an Ortec 5000 EDX system.

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of endoglucanase in the frozen thin sections of a hypercellulolytic mutant of Trichoderma reesei

Endoglucanase (EG) is an enzyme of cellulase complex depolymerizing crystalline cellulose to cellulose microfibril fragments. T. reesei Rut-C30 is a catabolite repression resistant mutant which enhances endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and produces 15-20 times more endoglycanase than the wild type QM6a. About 90% of this enzyme is secreted.Purified secreted EG from three day old culture was used for polyclonal antibody production. The IgG was labeled with 15-18nm colloidal gold. EG secreting mycellia, grown in Vogel's medium with 1% Avicel PH101, were collected by centrifugation. This pellate was washed in sodium cacodylate buffer, fixed in tannic acid-glutaraldehyde mixture and cryoprotected with 30% glycerol. This material was placed on the specimen holders and frozen in liquid freon followed by liquid nitrogen. Frozen thin sections were prepared in a LKB Cryonova microtome using glass knives and collected on sucrose drops.

Morphological Characteristics of the Abdominal Paraganglia (Extraadrenal Chromaffin Tissue) in the Rhesus Monkey

The abdominal paraganglia represent extraadrenal chromaffin organs rich in catecholamines. Earlier work indicated that the organs degenerate soon after birth. More recently, however, investigators have reported the distribution and persistence of this extraadrenal chromaffin system in higher mammals, including man . The present work reports the occurrence of paraganglia in Rhesus monkeys and illustrates their ultrastruotural morphology.Two young adult Rhesus monkeys weighting approximately 6 kg. were anesthetized with Nembutal and perfused routinely with glutaraldehyde/ paraformaldehyde in 0.1M sodium cacodylate buffer. The paraganglia were stained and localized by immersing the retroperitoneal tissue block in glutaraldehyde/potassium diahromate and subsequently processed for electron microscopy via rapid dehydration and embedding.Potassium dichromate tracing produced a gross chromaffin reaction that initially identified the paraganglia as catecholamine containing organs. Correlative electron microscopic observations revealed that the organs were characterized by groups of cells whose cytoplasm contained conspicuous and voluminous accumulations of dense granules.

Oligodendrocytes in Developing Hameter Cerebral Cortex

Development of oligodendrocytes in rat corpus callosum was described as a sequential change in cytoplasmic density which progressed from light to medium to dark (1). In rat optic nerve, changes in cytoplasmic density were not observed, but significant changes in morphology occurred just prior to and during myelination (2). In our study, the ultrastructural development of oligodendrocytes was studied in newborn, 5-, 10-, 15-, 20-day and adult frontal cortex of the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).Young and adult hamster brains were perfused with paraformaldehyde-glutaraldehyde in sodium cacodylate buffer at pH 7.3 according to the method of Peters (3). Tissue samples of layer V of the frontal cortex were post-fixed in 2% osmium tetroxide, dehydrated in acetone and embedded in Epon-Araldite resin.

Scanning Electron Microscopy of Blaberus Giganteus (L.) Maxillary Palp Sensilla

The maxillary palps of B. giganteus are located on the maxillae which lie between the labrum and labium. They are modified appendages used in feeding. Each appendage bears 5 segments, the most distal of which contains the palp organ or sensory pad (Fig. 1). The maxillary palps were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde in 0.05 M sodium cacodylate buffer (pH 7.1) containing .15 M sucrose and post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide in buffer. This was followed by dehydration and critical point drying. Cryofractography was performed on some of the palp organs prior to drying (1).The sensory pad is composed of an exocuticular membrane upon which lie numerous sensilla basiconica in an elliptical pattern on the ventral surface. The membrane enables the sensory pad to expand and, in living specimens it appears dome-like due to the pressure exerted on it by the hemolymph.