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HISTOCHEMISTRY and ULTRASTRUCTURE of the CRYPT CELLS in the DIGESTIVE GLAND of APLYSIA PUNCTATA (CUVIER, 1803) Nadira Taïeb, Nardo Vicente

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HISTOCHEMISTRY and ULTRASTRUCTURE of the CRYPT CELLS in the DIGESTIVE GLAND of APLYSIA PUNCTATA (CUVIER, 1803) Nadira Taïeb, Nardo Vicente HISTOCHEMISTRY AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CRYPT CELLS IN THE DIGESTIVE GLAND OF APLYSIA PUNCTATA (CUVIER, 1803) Nadira Taïeb, Nardo Vicente To cite this version: Nadira Taïeb, Nardo Vicente. HISTOCHEMISTRY AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CRYPT CELLS IN THE DIGESTIVE GLAND OF APLYSIA PUNCTATA (CUVIER, 1803). Journal of Mol- luscan Studies, Oxford University Press (OUP), 1999, 65 (4), pp.385-398. 10.1093/mollus/65.4.385. hal-03024757 HAL Id: hal-03024757 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03024757 Submitted on 26 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. J. Moll. Stud. (1999), 65, 385–398 © The Malacological Society of London 1999 HISTOCHEMISTRY AND ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CRYPT CELLS IN THE DIGESTIVE GLAND OF APLYSIA PUNCTATA (CUVIER, 1803) NADIRA TAÏEB and NARDO VICENTE Centre d’Etude des Ressources Animales Marines. Faculté de St Jérôme, Case 341. 13397 Marseille Cedex, France (Received 29 December 1997; accepted 15 November 1998) ABSTRACT 1968; Schmekel & Wechsler, 1968a,b; Griebel, 1993; Kress et al, 1994) and many prosobranchs The crypt cells lining the Aplysia punctata digestive (Mason & Nott, 1981) are known to accumu- tubules comprise of three types of cell; calcium, late inorganic salts under normal conditions. excretory, and thin cells. The calcium cells play a role This process of bioaccumulation of mineral in osmoregulation, mineral storage, exocrine secre- salts occurs in specialized cells of the digestive tion, iron detoxification, and excretion processes. They possess well- developed microvilli and a basal tubules, called crypt cells (calcium cells) which labyrinth, suggesting a role in absorption. The Golgi have different ultrastructural characteristics apparatus is involved in the production of two and functions in different molluscan species. main components of calcium spherules; the fibrillar To date, there is no available ultrastructural material and mineralized granules. Golgi complex, information for the sea hare Aplysia punctata rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), ribosomes, and from the Mediterranean. In this classic osmo- altered mitochondria are involved in the formation adjusting species (Nicol, 1967), calcium of calcium spherules. Secretory activity is indicated appears as a major factor in its biology, for the by the formation of dense granules containing iron nervous system, toxic secretions released from and calcium salts. Lipofuscin pigment has been found in large concretions which may arise from cyto- purple and opaline glands against predators, plasmic areas surrounded by endoplasmic reticulum, muscles and eggs. If the mineral salt store RER and Golgi tubules. There are three stages of hypothesis is true, it can be predicted that the excretory cells, called early, mature, and post- digestive gland of A. punctata, would contain excretory cells. This study traces the development of inorganic salts. This prediction has been tested granulofibrillar vacuoles up to the formation of the by using histochemical methods for calcium lipofuscin concretions and shows that excretory cells and iron. The goal of this study is to analyse are in fact degenerating calcium cells. The fine struc- and identify the crypt cells and to provide ture of thin cells suggests that they are young calcium preliminary information on their relationships. cells. The morphology and functions of these cells are investigated in this ultrastructural analysis. INTRODUCTION MATERIAL AND METHODS The digestive gland of Aplysidae has been the subject of numerous chemical investigations Aplysia punctata and Plocamium cartilagineum (a (Stallard & Faulkner, 1974; Quinoa et al., red alga), were collected during the months of 1989), however, little is known of the histology March–April, 1993-1994, from a fishing-port in and ultrastructure of the digestive gland of Vallon des Auffes (Marseille). Animals were kept in marine snails. There is only a light-microscopi- aquaria with recirculating filtered sea water at 15- cal account of the digestive gland of Aplysia 17°C with a photoperiod of 11h light and 13 h dark. All animals received daily P. cartilagineum and sam- punctata (Cuvier, 1803) (Howells, 1943) and ples were histologically examined every 5 days. For recently, an ultrastructural study of the diges- routine light microscopy, the digestive glands of tive gland of Aplysia californica (Coelho et al., numerous sea hares were removed and fixed in 1998). Many pulmonates (Abolins-Krogis, Bouin’s Holland, Zenker’s fixative and neutral for- 1961, 1970b; 1975), all opisthobranchs (Taylor, malin, then paraffin embedded, sectioned at 6 mm 386 NADIRA TAÏEB & NARDO VICENTE and stained by Heindenhain’s azan. For histo- the cytoplasm; they react positively with the chemical studies the following methods, as detailed tests for AMPS, calcium and lipofuscin and in Ganter & Jolles (1970) were performed: alcian show slight or negative reaction with the Prus- blue (2.5 pH) for acid muco-polysaccharides (AMPS), sian blue test. the Prussian blue reaction for iron, the Von Kossa method for calcium and the Schmorl test for lipo- fuscin. For electron microscopy, small pieces of tissue Excretory cells: these are globular in shape and were fixed for 1 h at 4°C in chilled 2% glutaralde- possess more than one large vacuole in a supra- hyde, buffered at 7.4 with Sorensen’s buffer. Speci- nucleolar position. Some of them contain mens were post-fixed in 1% OSO4 in 0.1M sodium vacuoles with concretions which are histo- phosphate buffered for 1-2h at 4°C. The tissue was chemically similar to those of calcium cells; dehydrated through a series of alcohols and embed- while others exhibit large vacuoles with AMPS ded in Epon 812 (Luft, 1961). For light microscopy, fibrillar material. the semi-thin sections were stained with azure blue. Thin sections were cut with an LKB ultra-microtome Thin cells: these are narrow but extend to the V and mounted on copper grids. These were double stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate full height of the epithelium. The cytoplasm (Reynolds, 1963) and examined with a Philipps 400T contains small vacuoles which react negatively electron microscope. to all tests. Electron microscopy. Crypt cells (Fig. 1: A-E) are inter-connected apically by desmosomes RESULTS and septate junctions and lined by a layered basal lamina. Nerve fibres in association with Light microscopy. the digestive tubules are smooth muscles fibres and glial cells are numerous and loosely bound together by con- observed in the inter-tubular space. Haemo- nective tissue which is devoid of muscle fibres cytes in the process of phagocytosis are present and haemocytes. The tubules are made up of in the connective tissue. four types of cells; digestive, calcium, excretory and thin cells. Calcium, excretory and thin cells Calcium cells (Fig. 2; Fig. 3: A-F; Fig. 4: A-F; (called basiphilic cells), occur in small groups, Fig. 4: A) have a broad base containing a large usually in the corners of the tubules, where chromatin-rich nucleus and are filled with digestive cells predominate. The basiphilic cells rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, of this typical organisation are designated crypt mitochondria, calcium spherules and ribo- cells. Some tubules do not possess digestive somes (Fig. 3: A). The basement membrane cells (Taïeb, 1996). Thin cells are few in num- exhibits deep infoldings (Fig. 3: B). The rough ber and usually situated either side of calcium endoplasmic reticulum (RER) and basal cells, but also between excretory cells. Excret- plasma membrane surround areas of cyto- ory and thin cells are rarely seen between plasm. The RER is associated with granulo- digestive cells. In this work, only the crypt cells fibrillar vacuoles and calcium spherules. Free have been studied. ribosomes and polysomes, altered mitochon- dria and Golgi apparatus are present between Calcium cells: these are often pyramidal in calcium spherules of various sizes (Fig. 3: C, shape and contain a large ovoid nucleus with a D). The matrix of the altered mitochondria is distinct nucleolus and situated usually in the dense and contains ferritin-like particles. The basal region. They are characterized by calcium calcium spherules of the final developmental spherules which occur throughout the cyto- stage are characterized by a great number of plasm, except at the apex of the cells. Some alternately dense and less-dense concentric calcium spherules show internal concentric layers around a core. Sometimes the centre is rings which stain black by the Von Kossa missing, probably having been torn out during method; others contain fibrillar material or a sectioning. The calcium spherules of the early small granule which stains pink-metachromatic developmental stage show a central granule in azure blue and gives a positive reaction with and granulofibrillar material randomly dis- the tests for AMPS. The cytoplasm contains persed in a large matrix (Fig. 3: E). In the crystals and numerous small granules which are course of continued growth, calcium spherules accumulated particularly in the apical region fuse and form a large spherule with several and stained intensively with Von Kossa and rings. Occasionally, fusion between two periph- Prussian blue tests. Sometimes one to three erical layers occurs (Fig. 3: F). The Golgi large concretions (yellow granules) are seen in apparatus is composed by two or three dictyo- CRYPT CELLS IN APLYSIA PUNCTATA DIGESTIVE GLAND 387 Figure 1. Aplysia punctata. A-B. Supra-nuclear region of the crypt cells lining the digestive tubules. A. Thin cell (tc); excretory cell (ec); concretion (cr); calcium cell (cc); calcium spherules (cs); lumen (L); digestive sphere (ds); residual bodies (arrow); cilia (arrow-head); scale bar 5 1mm.
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