AC is compared with other well-described somatic cells with potentially similar roles in gametogenesis. your hand in hopes of catching two in the bushes, you. In the present article we summarize information about the AC structure and its putative functions. Somatic cells with similar morphological properties to those of the AC have been found in gonads of nematodes – the distal tip cell – and in insects – Verson’s cell, hub cells and cap cells. The latter is more speculative, since germline stem cells have not been identified in leech ovaries. Its suggested functions include a role in forming skeleton for the germline cells, and a role in defining a niche for germline stem cells. In spite of numerous descriptive data about the AC, its functions remain poorly understood. Additionally, the AC is connected to neighboring cells via junctions that structurally resemble hemidesmosomes. ACs are also enriched in cytoskeleton, mainly in form of intermediate filaments. It is also characterized by a prominent accumulation of mitochondria, Golgi complexes and electron-dense vesicles. The AC is easily distinguished due to its enormous size and its numerous long cytoplasmic projections that penetrate the space between neighboring cells. A single AC can be found at the apical tip of each ovary cord, the functional unit of leech ovaries, where it is surrounded by other somatic and germline cells. One such example is a peculiar cell found in leech ovaries – the apical cell (AC). Although somatic cells play an integral role in animal gametogenesis, their organization and function are usually poorly characterized, especially in non-model systems.
0 kommentar(er)
