Animal-Bacterial Interactions in the Early Life History of Marine Invertebrates: The Euprymna scolopes/Vibrio fischeri Symbiosis

SYNOPSIS. The symbiotic association between the Hawaiian sepiolidsquid Euprymna scolopes and the marine luminous bacterium Vibriofischeri is being developed as a model system for the studyof animal-bacterial interactions during development. Changesin light organ morphology during embryogenesis foster successfulinfection of the light organ with the proper bacterial partner.These embryonic events of light organ morphogenesis includethe elaboration of an epithelial surface with a complex ciliated,microvillous field. The squid host hatches without the bacterialsymbionts, but acquires them within hours from the free-livingpopulation of the bacteria in the water column. Upon exposureto the proper symbionts, the host organ undergoes a series ofmorphogenetic changes, including loss of the ciliated, microvillousfield. The light organ then goes on to mature into a morphologicalconfiguration that serves to promotethe maintenance of a stableassociation with the bacteria and that correlates with the useof the bacterial bioluminescence in behavior of the host. Thissymbiosis is discussed in light of other cyclically transmittedanimal-bacterial associations.     

Evidence of Transcellular Strands in Transverse Cryostat Sections of Cucurbita pepo Sieve Tubes

Transverse cryostat sections of rapidly frozen vascular bundlesof Cucurbita pepo were viewed in a microscope with Nomarskioptics. Structural bodies were frequently observed in sievetube lumina and filling the sieve plate pores. The bodies consistof an outer boundary ring and an inner core, often granularin appearance, and may represent transverse sections of boundedtubes filled by substructural material. This evidence is consistentwith earlier observations of strand-like structures with parallelsubstructural elements seen in longitudinal sections.