Zur Feinstruktur der spermatogenetischen Stadien von Myxine glutinosa L. (Cyclostomata)

The fine structure of the spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids, the Sertoli cell and the epithelial cells of the mesorchial sheath is described. In an early spermatid stage a transient close relationship between the Chromatoid body and the acrosome is demonstrated.     

Transmissions- und rasterelektronen-mikroskopische Untersuchung an den Sinnesknospen der Tentakeln von Myxine glutinosa L. (Cyclostomata)

Sensory buds of different sizes have been found in the epidermis from the barbels of Myxine glutinosa. The electron microscopic investigations reveal their composition as one type of receptor cells and two types of supporting cells. The receptor cells have apical stereocilia with filamentous internal structure and there are microvilli on the supporting cells. The cytoplasma of the receptor cells contain fibrils and fibril bundles. The sensory buds are innervated by a nerve plexus below the basal lamina with nerve endings between the basal cells, which lie below the sensory buds. A comparison with sensory buds in some other vertebrates is drawn.     

Estrogens in Plasma of the Hagfish,Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Concentrations of estrogens in the plasma of Myxine glutinosa were measured in an attempt to determine whether different stages of reproduction are connected with certain levels of steroid concentration. After extraction with diethylether and column chromatography on Sephadex LH-20, the plasma was radioimmunoassayed for estrogens. Samples were subdivided into 9 groups according to the gonadal conditions of the animals. There appears to be a positive correlation in females between plasma estrogen concentration and egg size (taken as an indication of reproductive stage). After ovulation the level of plasma estrogens fell appreciably. Estrogen levels of most of the samples from male animals were also determined.     

Regression in the ovary of Myxine glutinosa L. (Cyclostomata) II. Electron microscope studies of atretic follicles

In the atretic follicle of the open involutionary type an opening in the wall of the follicle is formed through which granulosa cells and yolk platelets are emitted. Migrating cells of the theca layer invade the follicular lumen and absorb phagocytotically residues of granulosa cells. On the other hand, atretic follicles of the closed involutionary type show yolk platelets which remain in the follicular lumen and are dissolved there. The granulated residue of the yolk platelets and the residue of the granulosa cells are absorbed phagocytotically by migrating cells. The follicular atresia of both degenerating types can be regarded as a process exclusively devoted to the purpose of resorbing atretic oocytes. No indications for the production of steroid hormones were found.     

Cell types in the adenohypophysis of the hagfish,Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Summary The anterior pituitary of the Atlantic hagfish, Myxine glutinosa, was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The cells of the adenohypophysis are arranged in follicles surrounded by connective tissue. Five cell types containing granules and one agranular cell type were identified. At the present state of the study the function of these cells remains open to discussion.This study was supported by the Austrian Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Grant no. 4070) and the Stiftungs- und Förderungsgesellschaft der Paris Lodron-Universität in Salzburg. The authors are grateful to the Director of the Biological Station in Drøbak (Norway), Amanuensis Finn Walvig, for procuring the material     

Fine structure of the agranular adenohypophysial cells in the hagfish,Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Summary Agranular cells are found throughout the adenohypophysis of Myxine glutinosa. They are located at the margin of single hypophysial follicles in the form of a spongy epithelial net. Their relationship to the secretory cells of the adenohypophysis and their morphology are described in adult animals. The distribution and ultrastructure of the agranular cells in the hagfish are in good agreement with the pattern of comparable cells in other vertebrates.This study was supported by the Austrian Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (grant no. 3204 and 3494). The authors are grateful to the director of the Biological Station in Drøbak (Norway), Amanuensis Finn Walvig, for procuring the material, to Miss Synnøve Tholo for technical assistance and to Mr. Arno Laminger for photographic work     

The cloaca of Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata): a scanning electron microscopical and histochemical investigation

The cloaca of Myxine glutinosa was examined by histochemical and scanning electron microscopical methods. No copulation organ could be found in Myxine and no detectable differences in the anatomy of the cloaca between male and female Myxine glutinosa. The anal gland which is the only gland in the cloacal region is situated between rectum and ductus coelomaticus. Like the lateral mucous glands in the epidermis it consists of large mucous gland cells, thread cells and undifferentiated cells. The cloacal epithelium neither develops a spatial separation by folds nor a ciliation is present in the caudal and dorsal part of the cloacal chamber. Therefore female and male myxinoides do not show any structures which would allow transportation of sperm into the abdominal cavity or out of it.     

Immunocytochemistry of cardiac polypeptide hormones (Cardiodilatin/atrial natriuretic polypeptide) in brain and hearts of Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Summary With the use of differnet region-specific antisera against partial sequences of porcine cardiodilatin (CDD)-126 and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique, the central nervous system as well as the systemic and the portal vein heart of the cyclostomian species Myxine glutinosa were investigated for a possible existence of cardiac polypeptides. In contrast to mammals, CDD-immunoreactions were obtained only with antisera directed against the C-terminus of CDD (CDD 99-126) which is identical to human atrial natriuretic polypeptide (alpha hANP). CDD-immunoreactive myocardiocytes were found in high densities in the atrium of the systemic heart and in the portal vein heart. In the ventricle of the systemic heart, CDD-immunoreactive cells were extremely scarce. In agreement with the immunohistochemical results, myoendocrine cells analyzed by electronmicroscopy exhibited specific granules of an average diameter of 0.21+0.02 m in equivalent localizations. Furthermore, with the use of the protein A-gold (PAG) technique, CDD-immunoreactivity was ultrastructurally localized within the specific granules of atrial myocardiocytes. In the central nervous system of Myxine glutinosa, CDD-immunoreactive perikarya and/or fibers were present on all levels from the telencephalon to the spinal cord. The results of the present study are compared with those obtained in mammals and their possible functional relevance and their meaning in phylogeny are discussed as well.     

Immunocytochemistry of cardiac polypeptide hormones (cardiodilatin/atrial natriuretic polypeptide) in brain and hearts of Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

With the use of different region-specific antisera against partial sequences of porcine cardiodilatin (CDD)-126 and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase (PAP) technique, the central nervous system as well as the systemic and the portal vein heart of the cyclostomian species Myxine glutinosa were investigated for a possible existence of cardiac polypeptides. In contrast to mammals, CDD-immunoreactions were obtained only with antisera directed against the C-terminus of CDD (CDD 99-126) which is identical to human atrial natriuretic polypeptide (alpha hANP). CDD-immunoreactive myocardiocytes were found in high densities in the atrium of the systemic heart and in the portal vein heart. In the ventricle of the systemic heart, CDD-immunoreactive cells were extremely scarce. In agreement with the immunohistochemical results, myoendocrine cells analyzed by electronmicroscopy exhibited specific granules of an average diameter of 0.21 + 0.02 micron in equivalent localizations. Furthermore, with the use of the protein A-gold (PAG) technique, CDD-immunoreactivity was ultrastructurally localized within the specific granules of atrial myocardiocytes. In the central nervous system of Myxine glutinosa, CDD-immunoreactive perikarya and/or fibers were present on all levels from the telencephalon to the spinal cord. The results of the present study are compared with those obtained in mammals and their possible functional relevance and their meaning in phylogeny are discussed as well.     

Fine Structure of the Surface of Small Mucous Cells in the Epidermis of the Hagfish Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Scanning and transmission electron microscopic investigations of the epidermal surface cells, the small mucous cells, of Myxine glutinosa reveal specific structural differentiations in the form of vertical apical channels with microvilli and supporting tonofilament skeleton. The functional significance of these surface differentiations with regard to the living environment of Myxine is discussed and a comparison with the surface characteristics of other aquatic animals is drawn.     

On the Caudal Heart of Myxine (Myxinoidea:Cyclostomata)

The anatomy of the caudal heart of Myxine glutinosa is reviewed and a hypothesis of its mode of action is outlined. It is a double-action force pump in which each stroke produces two results, the filling of one chamber and the emptying of the other. This hypothesis is supported by records of blood pressures (a) in the caudal vein, which show elevations of pressure as the left and right chambers are alternately emptied, and (b) in the subcutaneous sinuses, which show alternating reductions of pressure corresponding to the aspiration phases of the left and right sides. The caudal heart shows a diminishing sequence of bursts of activity following each bout of swimming; blood continues to flow slowly through the resting caudal heart. The conclusion is drawn that it is an auxillary venous pump, and it is compared with the lymph heart in the tail of teleost fish.     

Cardiac Function in the Hagfish,Myxine (Myxinoidea:Cyclostomata)

The electrocardiogram of Myxine glutinosa is described and its events related to systole in the sinus venosus, atrium and ventricle. Intraatrial, ventricular, ventral aortic and dorsal aortic pressures are presented. Ventricular systolic pressure was 10.3 ± 2.0 cm H₂O; average dorsal aortic pressure was 7.0 ± 1.7 cm H₂O. The resistance of the gill vessels caused a loss of 28% of the ventral aortic pressure. The conclusion is drawn that the basic mechanism of the heart of Myxine is like that of fish and higher vertebrates, and that the low pressure it develops is to be ascribed to structural and functional features of the myocardium.     

Die Chromosomenzahlen von tschechoslowakischen Arten der GattungKnautia L. (Dipsacaceae)

Die Chromosomenzahlen von den tschechoslowakischen Sippen der GattungKnautia L. sind angegeben:K. drymeia Heuffel subsp.drymeia—2n = 40 (41,42),K. slovaca ?těpánek— 2n = 20,K. arvensis (L.)Coulter subsp.arvensis—2n = 20, 40 (39, 41),K. arvensis (L.)Coulter s. 1.—2n = 20,K. kitaibelii (Schult.) Borbás—2n = 20 (39, 41),K. dipsacifolia Kreutzer subsp.dipsacifolia—2n = 60,K. dipsacifolia agg.—2n = 40, 50, 60. Keine taxonomisch wertvolle morphologische Unterschiede zwischen diploiden und tetraploiden Zytotypen vonK. arvensis subsp.arvensis wurden gefunden. Für die Populationen von Pflanzen, deren Morphologierauf Kreuzung oder Introgression zwischen tetraploiden Sippen (K. arvensis subsp.arvensis—4x,K. drymeia subsp.drymeia, K. kitaibelii undK. dipsacifolia agg.) zeigt, wurden ím Einklang mit dieser Voraussetzung die tetraploiden Chromosomenzahlen—2n = 40 (39, 41)— festgestellt. Einige ungelöste taxonomische Fragen hauptsächlich über die diploiden Populationen vonK. arvensis s. l. in Böhmen und überK. dipsacifolia agg. in den Westkarpaten werden diskutiert.     

Light and Electron Microscopical Characterization of Heterophilic Granulocytes in the Intestinal Wall and Islet Parenchyma of the Hagfish,Myxine glutinosa (Cyclostomata)

Heterophilic granulocytes were studied in the blood, intestinal wall, and islet parenchyma of the Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa) by light and electron microscopical methods. The granulocytes are pseudoeosinophils and show a PAS-positive cytoplasmic reaction. Ultrastructurally, the cells contain evenly distributed pleomorphic cytoplasmic granules with the granule membrane close to the osmiophilic core. Emigrated blood granulocytes are found extra-vascularly in the submucous connective tissue, and obviously they can pass the basal lamina and migrate into the epithelium of the intestine, bile duct, and islet parenchyma. Though the staining characteristics of hagfish granulocytes are different from those of endocrine cells in the intestinal mucosa and islet parenchyma, intraepithelial granulocytes in some locations may sometimes be difficult to distinguish ultrastructurally from insulin-containing B-cells, since heterophil granules have both a size and a shape close to those of secretion granules in B-cells. However, in contrast to B-cells the granulocytes show the following ultrastructural features: a lobated nucleus with peripherally arranged electron-dense chromatin; cytoplasmic processes and often rod-like granules with no clear space between the granule membrane and core; prominent cytoplasmic vacuoles and microtubules; and sparse mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. Furthermore, immigrated granulocytes lack desmosomes and annulate lamellae. Some of the intraepithelial granulocytes in the mucosa show signs of disintegration and cell death. Degenerative cell processes are also described in the islet parenchyma.     

Die Ultrastruktur der Photorezeptoren von Lithobius forficatus L. (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae)

Zusammenfassung Die Untersuchung der feinstrukturellen Organisation der Ocellen von Lithobius forficatus L. ergab, daß der dioptrische Apparat aus einer lamellenartig gebauten, ungleichseitig bikonvexen Cornealinse besteht. Ein Glaskörper und spezielle Pigmentzellen fehlen. Der Augenbecher wird von 35–110 Sinneszellen gebildet, unter denen 2 morphologisch distinkte Typen unterschieden werden können. Die großen Sehzellen des distalen Bereiches besitzen einseitig inserierende Rhabdomere, die in radiärsymmetrischer Anordnung ein umfangreiches geschlossenes Rhabdom bilden. Der proximale Teil des Augenbechers wird von kleineren, konischen Basalzellen in Form einer undeutlich abgesetzten Retinula eingenommen. Durch enge Verzahnung ihrer zirkumapikal oder zweiseitig angeordneten Mikrovilli entstehen stelzenförmige Doppel- und Mehrfachrhabdomere, die mit dem zentralen Rhabdom in Verbindung stehen. Alle Sehzellen sind durch eine Gliederung in verschiedene Zonen gekennzeichnet. Sie sind bei distalen Rezeptoren senkrecht zur optischen Achse, bei Basalzellen transversal zur Längsachse der Zelle angeordnet. Auf die rhabdomerischen Mikrovilli des Augenzentrums folgt nach außen eine Schaltzone aus Elementen des ER und anderen vesilukären Bildungen. Diese Schaltzone stellt wahrscheinlich eine mit dem Adaptationszustand des Auges korrelierte Funktionsstruktur dar. In der cytoplasmatischen Zone fällt die Zahl verschiedenartiger multivesikulärer Korpuskel neben wenigen großen multilamellären Körpern auf. Die funktionelle Bedeutung des Ocellusaufbaus bei Lithobius wird diskutiert.

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Ultrastructure of the Photoreceptors of Lithobius forficatus L. (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae)

Summary The ultrastructure of the ocelli of Lithobius forficatus L. was investigated by means of conventional electron microscopy. The dioptric apparatus consists of an unequal biconvex corneal lens which has a lamella-like fine structure. Crystalline cones and special pigment cells are lacking. The eye cup is composed of 35 to 110 sense cells of two different morphological types. The large visual cells of the distal region are characterized by unilaterally inserted rhabdomeres which form in a radial symmetrical arrangement the extended closed rhabdome. The proximal part of the eye cup is occupied by somewhat smaller basal cells of conical shape, showing an indistinct retinula. These cells have numerous microvilli either in the apex region or laterally which interdigitate to form stiltlike double or multiple rhabdomeres in close communication to the central rhabdome. In both types of sense cells particular zones appear because of the characteristic distribution of certain cell elements. They are arranged perpendicularly to the optical axis in the large receptors and vertical in the main axis of the basal cells. Elements of ER and other vesicles constitute a Schaltzone which borders the microvilli of the rhabdomer. This Schaltzone probably is a functional structure correlated to the adaptional state of the eye. The cytoplasmatic zone contains numerous different multivesicular and few large multilamellar bodies. The functional meaning of the organization of the Lithobius ocellus is discussed.

Mit dankenswerter Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.