HISTOLOGICAL AND ULTRASTRUCTURAL CHARACTERISATION OF THE STOMACH AND INTESTINE OF THE OPISTHOBRANCH Bulla striata (HETEROBRANCHIA: CEPHALASPIDEA)

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

lobo-da-cunha, a (Author) ICBAS; Malheiro, AR (Author) Other; Alves, A (Author) Other; Oliveira, E (Author) Other; Coelho, R (Author) Other; Calado, G (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Thalassas

Vol. 27

Pages: 61-75

ISSN: 0212-5919

Publisher: Springer Nature

Indexing

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Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-Q53

Abstract (EN): In order to obtain more data for a comparative analysis of the digestive system in opisthobranchs, the stomach and intestine of Bulla striata were studied with light and electron microscopy. A 3D-model of the stomach and its connections with the posterior oesophagus, digestive gland ducts and intestine was created from a series of histological sections. The U-shaped stomach is just a segment of the digestive tube without any external distinction from the intestine. Internally, the stomach is characterized by the presence of a typhlosole and many mucussecreting cells that are strongly stained by PAS reaction and alcian blue. Significant amounts of proteins were not detected in the mucus-secreting cells of the stomach, but protein-rich secretory material was found in the apical region of another type of secretory cells present in both stomach and intestine. The end of the typhlosole can be considered the transition point between the stomach and intestine. Mucus-secreting cells are also abundant in the intestine and all of them stain with alcian blue. However, most mucus-secreting cells of the intestine are not significantly stained by PAS reaction, but contain more proteins than the mucus-secreting cells of the stomach. The granular cells with a large number of small electron-dense secretory vesicles containing proteins and neutral polysaccharides were found only in the intestine. The available data show that despite some anatomical and histological differences several cell types are identical in the digestive systems of Aplysia depilans and B. striata.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15