The fine structure of epidermal glands of regenerating and mature globiferous pedicellariae of a sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus).
After a globiferous pedicellaria is lost from a sea urchin, a new appendage of the same kind is usually regenerated in the weeks that follow. During the latter part of regeneration, head glands and stalk glands, both of epidermal origin, develop from undifferentiated cells. Head gland cells begin morphological differentiation in the epidermis and then delaminate into the underlying dermis. In the formation of the stalk gland, by contrast, undifferentiated cells delaminate from the epidermis and then begin morphological differentiation in the dermis. During late regeneration, cells in the head and stalk glands are characterized by extensive rough endoplasmic reticulum distended with intracisternal material; moreover, the Golgi complex is closely associated with some of the large cytoplasmic vacuoles. The accumulating secretions of the two glands differ both in fine structure and in site of storage. Head gland secretions are stored intracellularly in the cytoplasmic vacuoles, while stalk gland secretions leave the gland cells in an apocrine fashion and are stored in an extracellular lumen. After regeneration, the mature cells of the head glands and stalk glands contain relatively little distended endoplasmic reticulum, although a Golgi complex is still present. Presumably, mature gland cells, in comparison to regenerating gland cells, produce relatively little secretion; instead, the glandular products elaborated during regeneration are probably stored in the mature glands with little augmentation or turnover.
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002466:Cell Nucleolus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006003:Glycogen; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008055:Lipids; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009132:Muscles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012038:Regeneration; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012617:Sea Urchins / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D012627:Sebaceous Glands / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012867:Skin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014617:Vacuoles / Q000648:ultrastructure
D002843:Chromatin; D008055:Lipids; D006003:Glycogen