Cytodifferentiation in the accessory glands of Tenebrio molitor. XI. Transitional cell types during establishment of pattern

Abstract

The bean-shaped accessory glands of male Tenebrio consist of a single-layered epithelium which is surrounded by a muscular coat. The epithelial layer, which produces precursors of the wall of the spermatophore, contains eight secretory cell types. Each secretory cell type is in one or more homogenous patches, and discharges granules which form one layer of the eight-layered secretory plug. Maturation begins in cell types 4, 7, and 6 on the last pupal day. A newly identified cell (type 8) in the posterolateral epithelium matures last. Cells of individual types mature in synchrony, and their secretory granules “ripen” in a sequence that is characteristic for each type. As the secretory cells of each patch mature, unusual short-lived cells appear at interfaces between patches. In some cases the secretory granules in these boundary cells have ultrastructural features which are mixtures of the definitive characteristics of granules in adjacent cell types. The transitional cell types disappear at 3–4 days after eclosion. Intermediate cell types are absent in the mature gland and boundaries between the patches are distinct. The transitional cells may form granules of intermediate structural characteristics as a dual response to cellular interaction with adjacent and previously differentiated secretory cells.