Cytological Observations on Cell Strains Established in Culture From Insect Ovarian Tissue

Abstract

Cytological and cytochemical observations made on cell strains from ovarian tissue of the saturniid moth Antheraea eucalypti Scott about 120 generations subsequent to their establishment in culture show that a high proportion of the cells are polyploid. Direct chromosome counts indicate that the nuclei range from diploid to at least approximately 128-ploid. The cells of the four strains at present in culture are of three morphologically distinct types differing in the frequency with which they show certain levels of ploidy. The haploid chromosome number of A. eucalypti established from an examination of meiosis in the male pupa is 25. Many of the non-germinal cells of pupal ovaries and testes are polyploid and range from 4n to at least 32n. Similar endopolyploidy is shown by the circulating cells of the haemolymph at the pupal stage.