ISSN:
0362-2525
Keywords:
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Of mussels taken from the Ebro Delta River (E. Spain), 3% have a nonmodified copepod, Modiolicola gracilis, in the gill tissues. The cuticle of different segments of the body has an epicuticle with two layers, which show external microvilli-like projections. Weakly positive reactivity to the PTA technique has been detected in the external region. The procuticle has the helicoidal architecture of the chitinous tegument in arthropods, whereas the cuticle shows discontinuities in the regions of ducts in tegumental glands.The integument is comprised of three types of cells. Epidermal cells are flat with numerous mitochondria. Muscle cells show well-developed mitochondria with several longitudinally distributed cristae. A third and secretory cell shows a well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex in the basal zone. Its apical portion is full of secretory granules. Through the cuticle, these integumental glands open directly to the cuticular surface via a short duct coated by epicuticle.The composition and specializations of this complex cuticular architecture differ markedly from those shown by an endoparasitic copepod detected in the digestive gland of the mussel. It does not appear that the specializations detected in the cuticle of M. gracilis lead to any histopathological alteration in host tissues. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Material:
7 Ill.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.1052210107
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