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Fine Structure of the Fat Body and its Bacteroids in Blattella germanica (Blattodea)
Author(s) -
Polver Paola,
Sacchi Luciano,
Grigolo Aldo,
Laudani Ugo
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
acta zoologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.414
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1463-6395
pISSN - 0001-7272
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6395.1986.tb00850.x
Subject(s) - endoplasmic reticulum , biology , lipid droplet , organelle , cytoplasm , glycogen , cockroach , ultrastructure , vacuole , electron microscope , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , anatomy , ecology , physics , optics
The abdominal fat body of the cockroach Blattella germanica contains three characteristic cell types—trophocytes, bacteriocytes and urate cells—which have been investigated by electron microscopy. The trophocytes are rich in lipid droplets of different sizes; glycogen, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria are also abundant. In females immediately after eclosion, the trophocytes contain a greater number of lipid droplets, some of which have different electron density; glycogen and cytoplasmic organelles are clearly reduced. The bacteriocytes hold rod‐like and spherical bacteroids, which are encapsulated by a vacuolar membrane; they show a thin cytoplasmic membrane and an evident cell wall surrounded by a membrane‐like outer envelope. The bacteroids appear to be dividing either by transverse partition or by budding. The urate cells, adjacent to the bacteriocytes, are characterized by complex urate vacuoles delimited by a double layer‐structure.