Description and molecular characterisation of Xiphinema herakliense n. sp. (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from wild and cultivated olives in Crete

Xiphinema herakliense n. sp. from wild olive and cultivated trees in Vathy Rema and other localities, Heraklion province of Crete, Greece, is described based on morphological and molecular characters. The new species is characterised by having differentiation in the tubular part of the uterus, body length 4.1 (3.3-5.5) mm, odontostyle 149 (135-163) μm long, odontophore 85 (71-98) μm long, female tail dorsally convex-conoid with subdigitate peg, and presence of functional males. The polytomous identification code of the new species is: A4, B2 + 3, C5a, D6(5), E5, F4(5), G3, H2, I3, J5, K5, L2. The new species belongs to morphospecies Xiphinema non-americanum Group 5 characterised by having two equally developed female genital branches with uterine differentiation, presence of pseudo-Z-organ with small granular bodies plus small spines (in low number) and crystalloid bodies along uterus, and a short, rounded tail ending in a peg. Xiphinema herakliense n. sp. appears closely related to X. barense, X. horvatovicae, X. lanceolatum, X. loteni, X. sphaerocephalum and X. thorneanum, from which it may be differentiated morphologically and/or molecularly. The results of the phylogenetic analyses based on the sequences of the D2-D3 expansion regions of the 28S rRNA gene and ITS1 rRNA genes are also supportive of its specific status.

Cell membrane regions in preimplantation mouse embryos

Cell membrane regions characterized by alkaline phosphatase activity are described in cleaving mouse embryos and early blastocysts. Enzyme activity is demonstrated by light and electron microscopy, from the late 4-cell stage onwards, on the cell surfaces between blastomeres but not on the outer surface of the embryo. Experiments with dissociated morulae show that this is probably not an artifact due to the retention of the enzyme reaction product between the blastomeres. With the electron microscope the activity is also demonstrated in crystalloid bodies within the cytoplasm. The localization and growth during cleavage of cell membrane regions with enzyme activity is interpreted as the result of new cell membrane formation and/or as a relation of the crystalloid bodies with the cell membrane through the cortical system of microtubules and filaments.

The viral nature of Toddia França, 1912

Toddia França, 1912 under the light microscope occurs as inclusion corpuscles in the cytoplasm of erythrocytes of cold-blooded vertebrates sometimes accompanied by crystalloid bodies. Its position among the protozoans or the viruses has been discussed by some authors, but remained unclear. To elucidate this problem we studied Toddia from a Brazilian frog (Leptodactylus ocellatus) by electron microscopy. In the cytoplasm of the infected cells we found no protozoan, but rather virus-like particles often hexagonal in outline, averaging 195 nm excluding their two involving membranes, and presenting a central area of variable electron density. Particles at different stages of development were generally found around or on area lighter density than the cytoplasm. which resembled a virus synthesis site. At high magnification, the nuclear or cytoplasmic crystals allied to Toddia resembled the crystalline lattice of the inclusion bodies associated with the polyhedrosis viruses and poxviruses from insects, of the capsules of granulosis viruses and of other protein crystals in ultrathin sections. Cytochemical tests in Toddia corpuscles displayed exclusively the presence of deoxyribonucleic acid. These findings indicate that Toddia is not a protozoan and demonstrate that it is in all probability a viral inclusion corpuscle. Taking into account the nucleic acid type found in its structure (DNA) and the hexagonal shape usually shown in ultrathin sections by its component particles, which have a cytoplasmic site of synthesis and assembly, we tentatively relate Toddia with the so-called "Icosahedral Cytoplasmic Deoxyriboviruses". We believe that the present paper gives the first report of virus-like particles in L. ocellatus.

Intraerythrocytic Crystalloid Bodies in Cats

Rectangular-shaped crystalloid bodies (C.B.) were demonstrated within the erythrocytes of intact and splenectomized cats and after incubation in hypertonic NaCl. The morphologic appearance of the C.B. is strikingly similar to that of crystals present in the erythrocytes of individuals with hemoglobin C.