title: The ultrastructure of photoreceptor cells in the pineal organ of the blind cave salamander, Proteus anguinus (Amphibia, Urodela).
abstract: We studied ultrastructure of the photoreceptor cells in the pineal organ of blind, depigmented, neotenic cave salamander, Proteus anguinus. Unlike in epigean vertebrates the outer segments of most photoreceptor cells consists of concentrically arranged lamellae, however; in few cells, the outer segments contain 7-9 plasma membrane disks. In both types of photoreceptor cells the outer segments enclose lumps of vesicles of different sizes. The photoreceptor cells of Proteus anguinus are similar to those in other cavernicolous fish species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. marjanca.kos@uni-lj.si
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kos
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bulog
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001766:Blindness / Q000235:genetics; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014562:Caudata / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics