Histochemical observations on the pyloric caeca of Asterias rubens (Echinodermata, asteroidea) in relation to the reproductive cycle

✍ Scribed by A. J. Van Der Plas; P. A. Voogt

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1983
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1007 KB
• Volume: 178
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0362-2525
• DOI: 10.1002/jmor.1051780208

✦ Synopsis

The pyloric caeca of the starfish Asterias rubens were investigated histochemically during the reproductive cycle. The median duct and the side lobes reacted differently. The median duct reacted positively for acid phosphatases and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, whereas the side lobes reacted positively for alkaline phosphatases, neutral lipids, and fatty acids. In the transition zone between the median duct and the side lobes, the reaction for alkaline phosphatases and neutral lipids increased toward the side lobes. The function of the enzymes and the histochemical results are discussed in relation to the function of the pyloric caeca and to the reproductive cycle.