Structure of Ovaries and Oogenesis in Dermapterans. II. The Nurse Cells, Nuage Aggregates and Sponge Bodies

• Published in: Folia biologica (Kraków) Vol. 58; no. 1; pp. 67 - 72
• Main Authors: Tworzydło, Wacław, Kisiel, Elżbieta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Poland Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish A 01.01.2010
• Subjects: Animals; Dermaptera; Drosophila; Female; Forficula auricularia; Insecta - anatomy & histology; Insecta - physiology; Nuage Material; Nurse Cells; Oogenesis; Ovary - physiology; Ovary - ultrastructure; Species Specificity; Sponge Bodies
• ISSN: 0015-5497; 1734-9168
• DOI: 10.3409/fb58_1-2.67-72

In three studied dermapteran species, Doru lineare, Opisthocosmia silvestris and Forficula auricularia, ovarian follicles are composed of two cells only, the oocyte and a single nurse cell. The nuclei of the nurse cells are large, ameboid and contain highly active nucleoli. RER elements, ribosomes, mitochondria and electron-dense aggregations of nuage material are present in the cytoplasm. Immunolocalization analysis revealed that in earwigs the nuage does not contain snRNAs. In one of the studied species, Doru lineare, apart from "canonical" nuage aggregations, characteristic RER/nuage complexes were found. These structures are morphologically similar to the sponge bodies present in the cytoplasm of the Drosophila germline cells. We suggest that RER/nuage complexes in Doru, as sponge bodies in Drosophila, are implicated in mRNA translocation.