Differentiation and ultrastructure of oncospheral and uterine envelopes in the nematotaeniid cestode, Nematotaenia dispar (Goeze, 1782)

Abstract

The oncospheral envelopes of infective eggs in Nematotaenia dispar include the outer envelope with 2 sublayers, the inner envelope with a fibrillar embryophore and 2 cytoplasmic sublayers, and the oncospheral membrane. They differentiate from 3 primary embryonic envelopes, capsule, outer and inner envelope. The uterine envelopes are formed around the early embryos by processes of uterine epithelial cells, which surround the capsules. They degenerate rapidly in later stages; however, some structural components of the uterine envelopes were still visible in gravid proglottids as flattened perikarya with pyknotic, lobate nuclei, residual membranous structures and cellular debris situated usually between eggs. The following ultrastructural features of oncospheral envelopes differentiation appear to be characteristic for N. dispar: (1) lack of the outer capsule or shell in the fully mature eggs; (2) bi-layered structure of the outer envelope and tri-layered structure of the inner envelope; (3) absence of hook region membrane resulting probably from its early disintegration; (4) presence of small vesicles or “pits” incorporated into the inner envelope plasma membrane; (5) presence of densely packed microtubules in the external layer of the inner envelope; (6) changes in number of mitochondria and free ribosomes in the external and internal layers of inner envelope during egg maturation; and (7) probable “passage” of mitochondria and free ribosomes through the embryophoral pores in the developing eggs.