Non-glandular Cells Research Articles

Early responses to salt stress in quinoa genotypes with opposite behavior.

Soil salinity is among the major abiotic stresses that plants must cope with, mainly in arid and semiarid regions. The tolerance to high salinity is an important agronomic trait to sustain food production. Quinoa is a halophytic annual pseudo-cereal species with high nutritional value that can secrete salt out of young leaves in external non-glandular cells called epidermal bladder cells (EBC). Previous work showed high salt tolerance, but low EBC density was associated with an improved response in the early phases of salinity stress, mediated by tissue-tolerance traits mainly in roots. We compared the transcript profiling of two quinoa genotypes with contrasting salt tolerance patterning to identify the candidate genes involved in the differentially early response among genotypes. The transcriptome profiling, supported by in vitro physiological analyses, provided insights into the early-stage molecular mechanisms, both at the shoot and root level, based on the sensitive/tolerance traits. Results showed the presence of numerous differentially expressed genes among genotypes, tissues, and treatments, with genes involved in hormonal and stress response upregulated mainly in the sensitive genotype, suggesting that tolerance may be correlated to restricted changes in gene expression, at least after a short salt stress. These data, showing constitutive differences between the two genotypes, represent a solid basis for further studies to characterize the salt tolerance traits. Additionally, new information provided by this work might be useful for the development of plant breeding or genome engineering programs in quinoa.

Ultrastructural characterization of the adhesive organ ofIdiosepius biserialisandIdiosepius pygmaeus(Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

Water drift and tidal rise make the use of bonding mechanisms beneficial for small benthopelagic or interstitial marine animals. Chemical adhesives for attachment are very common in molluscs; however, only a few cephalopods have glue producing organs. The family Idiosepiidae is characterized by an epithelial adhesive organ (AO) located on the posterior part of the dorsal mantle area. Previous morphological and histological studies described three non-glandular cell types (basal, interstitial and fusiform cells) and three glandular cell types (goblet, columnar and granular cells) containing protein and carbohydrate components. However, these studies provide different information about the nomenclature and characteristics of the cell types. The present ultrastructural analyses and a 3D reconstruction of the AO ofIdiosepius pygmaeusandIdiosepius biserialistherefore serve to investigate the cell distribution, the fine structure of the cells and possible interactions between the cells.We found that basal cells form a continuous cell layer along the basal membrane, overlapped by the other epithelial cells. Embedded in microvilli-covered interstitial cells the glandular cells are more or less evenly distributed within the AO. Goblet and granular cells are solitary glandular cells without conspicuous morphological characteristics, whereas the columnar cells are arranged in dense aggregations of 5–15 cells. Each columnar cell is enclosed by a narrow supporting interstitial cell which contains dense longitudinal filament strands. The secretory process of the cells in the aggregation is synchronized. Each columnar cell aggregate bears approximately two ciliated sensory fusiform cells. The fusiform cells are connected to a neuronal network, aligned along the epithelium base.The results suggest that the bonding system is affected by two secretory cell types (granular and columnar cells). Both are similar in content, synthesis and secretory process but columnar cells are embedded in a particular cell environment. It is unclear in what way this arrangement is associated with the function of the AO. The neurons in several parts of the AO point to a neuronal control of the bonding mechanism. Comparisons with the AO cells of other cephalopods provide no indications for a morphological relationship between the adhesive systems.

Fine structure and phylogenetic significance of a muscular basal bulb in Basiria gracilis Thorne, 1969 (Nematoda: Tylenchidae)

Classical hypotheses of the phylogenetic position of Tylenchida within Secernentea are evaluated considering the comparative fine structure of the basal bulb of the pharynx of Basiria gracilis, putatively a representative of the most morphologically conserved members of the order. Unlike other Tylenchida examined in detail, B. gracilis has a full complement of nonglandular cells in the basal bulb including 13 radial muscle cells and six marginal cells. With respect to types and numbers of cells, the basal bulb of B. gracilis most nearly resembles representatives of Cephalobina, differing only by three vs five gland cells. There are more muscle cells in the basal bulb of B. gracilis than in representatives of Rhabditina (ten muscles) and Diplogastrina (six muscles). Considering Teratocephalus as a representative of the outgroup (to establish character polarity), B. gracilis appears to retain most of the conserved features of the basal bulb of Secernentea, with the exception of loss of a heavily cuticularised grinder valve or pump.

Bacillary band ultrastructure of the fish parasite Capillaria pterophylli (Nematoda: Capillariidae)

In Capillaria pterophylli Heinze, 1933, two lateral bacillary bands extend along the whole body in female and male worms. A ventral bacillary band is present in females only. The bacillary bands consist of glandular and non-glandular cells, in the region between the nerve ring and the end of the stichosome, ciliated sense receptors in tight connection with gland are present.

Localization of porphyrin in mouse Harderian glands.

Lipid secreting Harderian glands in the ocular region of rodents contain a large amount of metal-free porphyrins. The localization of these porphyrins and the areas of formation of the lipidporphyrin complexes in the glandular lumina have not been clearly defined. We therefore examined the intracellular localization of porphyrin fluorescence both in tissue sections and in cultured cells of Harderian glands of 5 weeks old female ICR mice, using confocal UV-laser scanning microscopes. The fluorescence appeared in glandular cells containing lipid droplets, but not in non-glandular cells (e.g. myoepithelial or interstitial) without these droplets. Fluorescence in the cells was recognized in the cytoplasm, but there was no evidence indicating that porphyrins were restrictively stored in mitochondria. Nuclei and lipid droplets lacked fluorescence. It is thus reasonable to conclude that porphyrins accumulate in the cytoplasm, and that porphyrins and lipids are secreted separately from glandular cells. The lipid-porphyrin complex is therefore probably formed in the glandular lumina and not within the glandular cells.

An enriched preparation of basal-lateral plasma membranes from gastric glandular cells.

A procedure is described for the preparation of a membrane fraction enriched in basal-lateral plasma membranes from gastric mucosa. Gastric glands isolated from rabbit were employed as starting material, greatly reducing contamination from non-glandular cell types. The distribution of cellular components during the fractionation procedure was monitored with specific marker enzymes. (Na+ + K+)-ATPase, ouabain-sensitive K+-stimulated p-nitrophenyl-phosphatase and histamine-stimulated adenylate cyclase were used as markers for basal-lateral membranes. These three markers were similarly distributed during both differential and equilibrium density gradient centrifugation. The enriched membrane fraction contained more than 30% of the total initial activities of the three basal-lateral membrane markers which were purified better than 11-fold with respect to protein. (Na+ + K+)-ATPase activity was resolved from the activities of acid phosphatase, pepsin, Mg2+-ATPase, cytochrome c oxidase, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, glucose-6-phosphatase, (K+ + H+)-ATPase, DNA and RNA.

Ultrastructural studies on the intranuclear inclusions of the rabbit adenohypophysis in vivo and in vitro

Intranuclear inclusions of three basic types are described in various parts of the rabbit adenohypophysis in vivo and in organ and cell cultures. These inclusions are mostly found in the postnatal tissue but occur in both glandular and non-glandular cells. A comparison is made with similar structures encountered elsewhere. Their significance is not known.

Structure of the Bacillary Band of Trichuris myocastoris

The presence of two cell types, hypodermal gland cells and non-glandular hypodermal cells, in the bacillary band of Trichuris myocastoris is established. The non-glandular cell component of the band is greatly reduced when compared to the structure of the bacillary band of Capillaria hepatica described previously. Beta cytomembranes occur on the pseudocoelomic side of apparently both gland and non-glandular cells. The structure of the bacillary band of trichuroid nematodes was the subject of several interpretations until electron microscope studies of this region in Capillaria hepatica by Wright (1963) and in Trichuris muris and T. vulpis by Sheffield (1963) indicated that the region is a modified hypodermal chord containing hypodermal gland cells which appear to open through a complex cuticular pore. In C. hepatica it was evident that two cell types, designated hypodermal gland cells and nonglandular hypodermal cells, occur in this region. However, in the Trichuris species studied, two cell types were not described. This note presents electron micrographs of the bacillary band of Trichuris myocastoris which clearly indicate the presence of non-glandular cells, although they are not as obvious as those in C. hepatica. MATERIALS AND METHODS Specimens of T. myocastoris were removed from the cecum of freshly killed nutria (Myocastor coypu) and fixed whole in 1.2% KMnO4 in 0.9% NaCl at ~4 C for 10 hr. The specimens were dehydrated through cold ethanol, transferred to propylene oxide, and embedded in Araldite 502. Sections stained with lead citrate (Venable and Coggshall, 1965) were examined from several levels through the esophageal region of the worms. Received for publication 23 April 1968. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The non-glandular cells of the bacillary band of T. myocastoris are greatly reduced in number and extent when compared to those of C. hepatica, and hence are not as easily demonstrated. In this regard, permanganate fixation has been a valuable aid as it selectively stains lipoprotein membranes, thereby clearly delineating cellular limits. The marginal non-glandular cells of the lateral hypodermal chord which gave rise to the interchordal hypodermis are most clearly seen (Fig. 1). Within the bacillary band, the non-glandular cytoplasm is frequently seen only as fine processes between hypodermal gland cells. Occasionally these processes can be traced to a nuclear region within the chord (Fig. 2). The cells resemble the non-glandular cells of the bacillary band of C. hepatica in their compliment of organelles, although their glycogen content is much lower. The non-glandular cells enclose the apical ends of the gland cells so that except for a very small area of some gland cells just at the margin of the pore, the gland cell does not come into contact with cuticle. The most striking feature of non-glandular cells differing from those of C. hepatica is the presence of numerous infoldings of the basal cell membrane (p3 cytomembranes, Sj6strand, 1956)