US EPA

1955603 

Journal Article 

GASTRO-ENDOCRINE, APUD-LIKE CELLS IN THE DIGESTIVE EPITHELIUM OF SOME COLEOPTERA 

Araujo, ACG; Oliveira, SF; Kitajima, EW 

1990 

0 

Microscopia Electronica y Biologia Celular
ISSN: 0326-3142 

14 

1 

19-33 

WOS:A1990FD10300003 

Endocrine type cells have been consistently found in the midgut epithelium of some Chrysomelid and Coccinelid beetles, though in frequency lower than 1%. They are pyramidal in shape, resting upon the basal membrane, eventually having slender processes towards the midgut lumen. Characteristically these cells contain membrane bounded granules with an electron dense core, usually surrounded by a light halo, which accumulate between the nucleus and the basal portion of the cell. Cyto-, histo- and immunochemical works were carried out with two of these beetles (Diabrotica speciosa and Cerotoma arcuata), which revealed that these endocrine-like cells were: non argentaffin, according to Grimelius and Masson-Hamperl reactions; PAS positive, thus containing polysaccharides; lead haematoxylin positive, suggesting histochemical relations to pancreatic D, C and EC (enterochromaffin) cells; non fluorescent under UV light, after formaldehyde treatment, indicating the absence of serotonin-like substances; non reactive for immunogold labelled, anti-secretin antibody; membranes and inner content of the granules did not react with the lectins WGA, RCA I, PNA and WFH.



Though more cyto-, histo- and immunochemical studies are required, these preliminary data suggest that these endocrine type cells found in the beetle midgut might belong to the so-called APUD (amino precursor uptake decarboxylation) cell system, described in higher animals.