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Ovarian ultrastructure and vitellogenesis in ten species of shallow-water and bathyal sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Kevin J. Eckelbarger  and
Craig M. Young
Kevin J. Eckelbarger
Affiliation:
Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, Maine 04573, USA and Department of Animal Veterinary & Aquatic Sciences, Hitchner Hall, Orono, Maine 04469, USA
Craig M. Young
Affiliation:
Larval Ecology Program, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, 5600 Old Dixie Highway, Fort Pierce, Florida 34946, USA
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Extract

Comparative ultrastructural features of the ovary and vitellogenesis have been described for six shallow water and four bathyal species of sea cucumbers representing four major holothuroid orders. Ovarian structure is similar in all ten species except for features of the peritoneal cells of the outer layer and the follicular inner epithelial cells surrounding the developing oocytes. The peritoneal cells vary from monociliated squamous or cuboidal cells to large columnar cells. Ultrastructural evidence suggests that these cells might be capable of incorporating materials from the perivisceral coelom. The follicular inner epithelial cells of two deep-sea species resemble podocytes, a feature previously unre-ported in holothuroid ovaries. It is suggested that these cells function to increase nutrient exchange between the genital haemal sinus and the oocyte during vitellogenesis. In all ten species, the oocytes appear to participate in yolk synthesis through the interaction of the Golgi complex and rough endoplasmic reticulum. The similarity in the ultrastructural features of vitellogenesis suggests that the process of yolk synthesis has been highly conserved in holothuroids. Endocytotic activity was detected in seven of ten species but it is uncertain if this is directly related to vitellogenesis. Cilia and intracellular structures resembling striated ciliary rootlets were observed in the oocytes of four of the ten species studied. The significance of this finding is unclear but could indicate that germ cells have a somatic cell origin.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 72 , Issue 4 , November 1992 , pp. 759 - 781
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1992

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