A high resolution analysis of the structure and chemical composition of the calcareous corpuscles from Mesocestoides corti.
Mesocestoides corti (syn. vogae), similar to many other cestode platyhelminthes, contains abundant calcium carbonate structures called calcareous corpuscles. These concretions that may constitute as much as 40% of the dry weight of the body, and were proposed to form intracellularly in certain parenchymal cells. As an approach to elucidate the biological role of calcareous corpuscles in cestodes, our aim was to characterize more precisely the structure and topological composition of the corpuscles from M. corti. Employing a variety of high resolution technical approaches, we found that the calcareous corpuscles are spheroid or ovoid layered concretions. They are formed by topographically homogeneous but compositionally heterogeneous layers, suggesting a cyclic process of biomineralization. The layers are composite structures, with granules of tens of nanometers, each surrounded by a cortex of about eight nanometers.
Sección Bioquímica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, CP 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
Cora
C
Chalar
Murielle
M
Salomé
Mario
M
Señorale-Pose
Mónica
M
Marín
C Terry
CT
Williams
Yannicke
Y
Dauphin
D000818:Animals; D002119:Calcium Carbonate; D008645:Mesocestoides / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
D002119:Calcium Carbonate