Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2005, 199-207 Larisa G. Poddubnaya(1)*, John S. Mackiewicz(2), Magdalena Brunanska(3,4)
and Tomas Scholz(3) - Ultrastructural studies on the reproductive system
of progenetic Diplocotyle olrikii (Cestoda, Spathebothriidea): Ovarian tissue
(1)Institute of Biology of Inland Waters, Russian Academy of Sciences, 152742, Borok, Yaroslavl Province, Russia; (2)Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA; (3)Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the
Czech Republic, Branisovska 31, 370 05 Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic; (4)Parasitological Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Kosice, Slovak Republic
*Corresponding author: poddubny@ibiw.yaroslavl.ru
ABSTRACT
The ultrastructure of the ovary and oogenesis are described from the immature and sexually mature female reproductive system of the progenetic spathebothriidean tapeworm, Diplocotyle olrikii from the body cavity of Gammarus oceanicus. Two types
of cells are described: germinal (oogonia, oocytes) and interstitial. A comparison is made of the fine structure of oogonia, early and advanced maturing oocytes and mature oocytes. Two types of inclusions, cortical granules and lipid droplets, are produced by maturing oocytes, and remain in the cytoplasm of mature oocytes within the ovovitelline duct lumen while only lipid droplets are evident in the oocyte cytoplasm of intrauterine eggs. The fate and possible functions of both inclusions are discussed. The interstitial component of the ovary is a syncytium. The maturing oocyte surface is prolonged into lamellae, forming a lamellar mesh with adjacent germ cells and close association of interstitial mitochondria. Deep invaginations of the ovarian basement layer between numerous folds of ovarian lobules facilitate close contact of the interstitium and sarcoplasmic glycogen-rich processes with maturing oocytes. Synchronism in maturity among all of the oocytes in the ovary is shown at different stages of oogenesis. Such a pattern of oogenesis results in the production of many eggs at the same stage of development and is considered an adaptation for the dissemination of fertilized eggs that occurs only at the death of the gammarid host.
KEY WORDS: Cestoda, Diplocotyle olrikii, reproductive ultrastructure, progenetic pattern of oogenesis, oocyte inclusions, interstitial syncytium