The tegument ofSchistosoma mansoni: a histochemical investigation

Abstract

The main components of the schistosome tegument were found to be neutral glycoprotein and phospholipid; a small quantity of glycolipid was observed in the male dorsal tegument. The tegument can be differentiated from other schistosome tissues on the basis of enzyme content; three hydrolytic enzymes were shown to be specifically localized in the tegument: alkaline phosphatase, adenosine triphosphatase and indoxyl esterase. It is suggested that these enzymes could be used as intrinsic markers for tegument structures. The subtegumental cells appear to be the major sites of biosynthetic activity since they contain large amounts of RNA and mitochondrial enzymes.

Studies on the Mechanisms of Immunity in Human Schistosomiasis

“…However, this is not the case with alkaline phosphatase and ATPase. Furthermore, since the alkaline phosphatase appears to be restricted to the tegument (Cesari 1974, Wheater & Wilson 1976, the similar enrichment of this enzyme and the ATPase suggests that there is indeed little contamination of the isolated tegumental membranes with plasma membranes from other sources. Electron microscopical examination of the membrane fractions revealed a few large membranous sheets and numerous vesicles and membranous whorls (Figure 2)(c.f.…”

“…A major problem in such experiments was the lack of a defined intrinsic membrane marker. Previous reports (Cesari 1974, Wheater & Wilson 1976) had suggested that alkaline phosphatase was associated with the tegument, but its exact location was not known. Therefore, we relied initially on the recovery of surface-bound ('''l)-labeled wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) in order to identify tegumental membranes in various subcellular fractions of disrupted schistosomula, according to the techniques of Chang et al (1975).…”

A Ca2+ ‐stimulated, Mg2+ ‐dependent ATPase activity in subcellular fractions from Schistosoma mansoni

“…Previous data on the presence of CaZ+-ATPase activity in S. mansoni consist of reports on the presence of ATPases activated by high concentrations of Ca 2+ or Mg 2+ [2][3][4][5] and of histochemical observations revealing ATPase activity in the tegument [14,15]. These ATPase activities referred to basic ATPases are probably not coupled to Ca 2+ transport.…”

The Caenorhabditis elegans Excretory System: A Model for Tubulogenesis, Cell Fate Specification, and Plasticity

“…A body cavity osmolarity higher than that of the environment attracts water that leaks through the tissues exposed to the environment, especially cuticle (Perry 1977;Wharton et al 1988;Bird and Zuckerman 1989) and intestinal cells (Stephenson 1942;Wright and Newall 1976), so the animal must eliminate excess water to maintain homeostasis.…”