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Chemical Nature and Mode of Stabilization of Egg‐shell in Helicometra pulchella (Rudolphi, 1819) (Digenea: Opecoelidae)
Author(s) -
Kalantan A. M. N.,
Arfin M.,
Alyousif Mohamed S.
Publication year - 1992
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.1463-6395.1992.tb01182.x
Subject(s) - digenea , biology , eggshell , integument , tyrosine , elastin , vitelline membrane , biochemistry , keratin , shell (structure) , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , zoology , trematoda , oocyte , ecology , helminths , embryo , paleontology , genetics , materials science , composite material
The chemical nature and mode of stabilization of egg‐shell protein in digenetic trematode Helicometra pulchella (Rudolphi, 1819) have been investigated using histochemical techniques. It was found that the egg‐shell is stabilized by quinone‐tanning together with dityrosine. Other structural proteins (elastin, collagen and keratin‐like proteins), glycogen and acid mucopolysaccharides were absent in egg‐shell. Tyrosine was present in vitelline cells and immature egg‐shell indicating that the proteins involved in quinone‐tanning were tyrosine rich and tyrosyl residues are modified to form dityrosine in mature egg‐shell.