Summary
By means of light and electron microscopical studies on Nautilus pompilius and Nautilus macromphalus, special basal cells within the alveolary enlarged terminal parts of the tubules of the midgut gland were revealed. Their abundant rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) with enlarged cisterns synthesizes ring-shaped macromolecules that resemble the hemocyanin molecules within the bloods-paces in size and form and seem to be secreted throughout the lamina basalis, locally discharged into the adjacent blood sinus. The hypothesis that this cell type represents a site of hemocyanin synthesis was confirmed by Zeeman AAS and ASTEM analyses of the content and distribution of copper within the glandular tissue, especially the different compartments of this cell type.
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Ruth, P., Schipp, R. & Klüssendorf, B. Cytomorphology and copper content of the basal cells in the midgut gland of Nautilus (Cephalopoda, Tetrabranchiata). Zoomorphology 108, 1–11 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312209
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00312209