Volume 51/Number 3/Abstract 4
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Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 51, No. 3, 2006, 182-193
Zdzislaw Swiderski(1,2)*, Jordi Miquel(3), Daniel Mlocicki(1), Lassad Neifar(4), Barbara Grytner-Ziecina(2) and John S. Mackiewicz(5) - Ultrastructural and cytochemical studies on vitellogenesis in trypanorhynch cestode Dollfusiella spinulifera Beveridge, Neifar et Euzet, 2004 (Eutetrarhynchidae)

(1)W. Stefanski Institute of Parasitology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 51/55 Twarda Street, 00-818 Warsaw, (2)Department of General Biology and Parasitology, Warsaw Medical University, 5 Chalubinskiego Street, 02-004 Warsaw, Poland; (3)Laboratori de Parasitologia, Departamento de Microbiologia i Parasitologia Sanitaries, Facultat de Farmacia, Universitat de Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII sn, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; (4)Laboratoire de Bioecologie Animale, Departement des Sciences de la Vie, Faculte des Sciences de Sfax, 3018 Sfax, Tunisia; (5)Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, N.Y. 12222, U.S.A.
*Corresponding author: z.swider@twarda.pan.pl
ABSTRACT
The first description of vitellogenesis in the Trypanorhyncha is presented in this paper. Though the type of vitellogenesis and mature vitellocyte in Dollfusiella spinulifera appear to be unique among the Eucestoda, to some extent they resemble that observed in the lower cestodes, namely the Tetraphyllidea and Pseudophyllidea. Maturation is characterized by: (1) an increase in cell volume; (2) extensive development of large, parallel, frequently concentric cisternae of GER that produce proteinaceous granules; (3) development of Golgi complexes engaged in packaging this material; (4) continuous enlargement of proteinaceous granules within vesicles and their transformation into shell globule clusters; and (5) progressive fusion of all vesicles, with flocculent material containing the proteinaceous granules and shell globule clusters, into a single very large vesicle that characterises mature vitellocytes of this tapeworm. Cell inclusions in and around the large vesicle consist of flocculent material of a very low density, a few shell globule clusters, moderately dense proteinaceous granules and numerous large droplets of unsaturated lipids. A new previously unreported mode of transformation of proteinaceous granules into shell globule clusters, that evidently differs from that of pseudophyllideans and tetraphyllideans, is described. Cytochemical staining with periodic acidthiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate for polysaccharides indicates a strongly positive reaction for membrane-bound glycoproteins in all membranous structures such as GER, mitochondria, Golgi complexes, nuclear and cell plasma membranes. Similar staining revealed beta-glycogen particles scattered in the cytoplasm of maturing vitellocytes. Typical cytoplasmic beta-glycogen particles appear mainly during early vitellocyte maturation but it is characteristic for this species that they are only seldom visible in mature cells. Some working hypotheses concerning the interrelationship between this particular pattern of vitellogenesis, possible mode of egg formation in D. spinulifera, its embryonic development and trypanorhynchean life cycle, are drawn and discussed.
KEY WORDS: Trypanorhyncha, Dollfusiella spinulifera, vitellogenesis, ultrastructure, cytochemistry, proteinaceous shell granules, shell globule clusters, unsaturated lipids, membrane-bound glycoproteins, beta-glycogen

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