Freeze-fracture study of the rectal pads in Stenophylax permistus McL. (Trichoptera)

With freeze-fracturing many different types of membrane specialization have been observed in the rectal sac epithelium of S. permistus; of these some supply the means of attaching microtubules and/or cuticular microfibrils to the cell membrane, while others concern various kinds of cell junctions, v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bollettino di zoologia 1985-01, Vol.52 (3-4), p.407-420
Main Authors: Dallai, Romano, Moretti, Giampaolo, Cianficconi, Fernanda, Sorcetti, Carla Corallini
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Insecta
Invertebrates
Morphology. Histology. Cytology
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Summary:With freeze-fracturing many different types of membrane specialization have been observed in the rectal sac epithelium of S. permistus; of these some supply the means of attaching microtubules and/or cuticular microfibrils to the cell membrane, while others concern various kinds of cell junctions, viz. desmosomes, scalariform, pleated septate and reticular junctions. Gap junctions are also observed between the different cells. The position and structure of these different junctions suggest that a) both septate junctions and desmosomes carry out a purely mechanical function, maintaining the complex structure of the rectal pad; b) gap junctions serve as informational channels between cells; c) ion exchange is presumed to take place in scalariform junctions. Furthermore, the reticular septate junctions, previously reported only in Diptera, may possibly be responsible for maintaining those structural conditions necessary for the functioning of the complexes formed by association between plasma membrane and mitochondria.
ISSN:0373-4137
DOI:10.1080/11250008509440545