Lectin histochemistry of epidermal glandular cells in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Annelida Oligochaeta)

Abstract

Carbohydrate residues were localized in the glandular cells of the epidermis of Lumbricus terrestris by lectin histochemistry. The following biotinylated lectins were used: ConA, PNA, WGA, UEA-I. Each lectin has a specific binding pattern in the epidermal glandular cells. The ConA binding is evident in the orthochromatic mucous cells; PNA in the metachromatic mucous cells; WGA in the neuroendocrine-like cells; UEA-I in the cuticle. The epidermal glandular cells possess specific sites for the different lectins in relation to their functional characteristics. Therefore, these sugar residues indicate different behaviours of the cells in epidermal functions related to ion transport, receptor-secretory processes and defence

Evaluation and comparison of trace metal accumulation in different tissues of potential bioindicator organisms: Macrobenthic filter feeders Styela plicata, Sabella spallanzanii, and Mytilus galloprovincialis

“…Polychaete mucus contains strong complex ligands for organic and inorganic pollutants, which could be involved in the depuration of toxic pollutants from the internal organs and their consequent accumulation in the tube. Various histochemical investigations carried out in other polychaete species have shown that the mucus secreted by the epidermal cells is rich in many different substances, for example, glycosaminoglycans, different mucopolysaccharides, methallothioneins, and mucoproteins rich in sulfur ligands with a high metal affinity [42]. Moreover, as suggested by ES ca et al [40], the high Fe concentrations in the polychaete tube may reflect the high concentration of oxyhydroxides of Fe that accumulate around and within the tubes; these confer a brownish color to the external wall [43].…”

Histology and Mucous Histochemistry of the Integument and Body Wall of a Marine Polychaete Worm,Ophryotrochan. sp. (Annelida: Dorvilleidae) Associated with Steelhead Trout Cage Sites on the South Coast of Newfoundland

“…Anton-Erxleben [24] noted that the polychaete cuticle was composed of two classes of organic material, a carbohydrate component and a protein component (collagen). Various histochemical investigations have shown that epidermal cells can secrete many different substances, for example, glycosaminoglycans, different mucopolysaccharides, and mucoproteins [21,26,28]. The orientation and organization of the mucus secreting cells from the species in this study certainly is novel, based on available literature descriptions, and warrants further investigation.…”

Mechanosensory cells in annelid oligochaete Lumbricus terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758): A new insight on worm evolution

“…The presence of 5‐HT and calbindin in earthworms has already been witnessed in the scientific literature (Licata et al, 1998, 2000, 2002; Myhrberg, 1971; Spörhase‐Eichmann et al, 1987). Immunohistochemically, we show scattered mechanosensory cells in the skin of L. terrestris immunoreactive to 5‐HT and calbindin.…”

“…Transmitter‐specific cells have been identified in several species: peptidergic, serotonergic, GABAergic and putative nitric oxide‐producing sensory cells (Kiszler et al, 2016). Various markers of the diffuse neuroendocrine system (DNS), such as 5‐HT (a crucial neurotransmitter for the central nervous system; Alesci et al, 2021), endothelin, neuron‐specific enolase, calcium‐binding protein S100, and cytokeratins K8‐18 and K7‐17 have been immunohistochemically localised in the small granular cells, confirming their involvement in the regulation of metabolic activities in the earthworm epidermis (Licata et al, 1998, 2000).…”