Adhesive Organs in Turbellaria: Results from Freshwater Species
Poster Number
030
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Biology
Faculty Mentor
: Julian Smith III, Ph.D., and Kathryn Kohl, Ph.D.
Abstract
Meiofauna comprise animals living in aquatic sediments that are small enough to move between sediment grains. Marine forms often possess duo-gland adhesive organs, in which one gland cell (viscid gland) secretes a glue, and the second gland cell (releasing gland) purportedly secretes a releasing substance. Duo-gland organs allow the animal to attach reversibly to sediment grains and are clearly necessary for organisms that constantly are exposed to wave and current action. In the past decade, substantial progress has been made in identifying and characterizing viscid secretions at the molecular/genetic level in marine flatworms and formulating a functional hypothesis for attachment and release. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that the lectin Peanut Agglutinin (PNA) specifically labels viscid gland secretions in the marine flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Duo-gland adhesive organs are common in marine species; however, less is known about adhesion in freshwater flatworms. A putative duo-gland adhesive system has been identified by transmission electron microscopy in a member of the genus Prorhynchus, and lectin-staining results have been reported for the marginal adhesive glands in Schmidtea mediterranea. Here, we report on fluorescent lectin staining of putative adhesive glands in three species of freshwater flatworms (Prorhynchus sp., Procotyla cf. typhlops, and Ascophora cf. elegantissima).
Course Assignment
BIOL 300 – Kohl
Previously Presented/Performed?
Association of Southeastern Biologists Annual Meeting, Memphis, Tennessee, April 2019
Grant Support?
Supported by an SC INBRE grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH-NIGMS)
Start Date
12-4-2019 2:15 PM
End Date
April 2019
Adhesive Organs in Turbellaria: Results from Freshwater Species
Richardson Ballroom – DiGiorgio Campus Center
Meiofauna comprise animals living in aquatic sediments that are small enough to move between sediment grains. Marine forms often possess duo-gland adhesive organs, in which one gland cell (viscid gland) secretes a glue, and the second gland cell (releasing gland) purportedly secretes a releasing substance. Duo-gland organs allow the animal to attach reversibly to sediment grains and are clearly necessary for organisms that constantly are exposed to wave and current action. In the past decade, substantial progress has been made in identifying and characterizing viscid secretions at the molecular/genetic level in marine flatworms and formulating a functional hypothesis for attachment and release. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that the lectin Peanut Agglutinin (PNA) specifically labels viscid gland secretions in the marine flatworm Macrostomum lignano. Duo-gland adhesive organs are common in marine species; however, less is known about adhesion in freshwater flatworms. A putative duo-gland adhesive system has been identified by transmission electron microscopy in a member of the genus Prorhynchus, and lectin-staining results have been reported for the marginal adhesive glands in Schmidtea mediterranea. Here, we report on fluorescent lectin staining of putative adhesive glands in three species of freshwater flatworms (Prorhynchus sp., Procotyla cf. typhlops, and Ascophora cf. elegantissima).
