Fate of Tunic Phagocytes in the Colonial Ascidian Aplidium yamazii

概要

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In the tunic of the colonial ascidian Aplidium yamazii, tunic phagocytes, the only phagocytic cell type, are ameboid and highly motile. In this study, we traced the fate of tunic phagocytes that were labeled with fluorescent beads following endocytosis. After incubation for a few days, the beads were also found in another cell type - spherical tunic cells. These cells are not motile and are usually distributed just beneath or outside the tunic cuticle; they do not show phagocytic activity. The present results suggest that tunic phagocytes differentiate into spherical tunic cells. We suppose the following pathway of the cytodifferentiation; 1) Tunic phagocytes engulf foreign materials or other cells by phagocytosis. 2) Residues of engulfed materials are retained as round granules in tunic phagocytes. 3) The cells filled with these granules become spherical tunic cells, which are expelled from the tunic.
秋田大学の論文
2003-03-31