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KMID : 0381919980280040539
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Korean Journal of Microscopy
1998 Volume.28 No. 4 p.539 ~ p.549
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Changes of Tubuliform Silk Glands during the Cocoon Production in the Garden Spider, Argiope aurentia
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Moon Myung-Jin
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Abstract
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The silk glands of the spiders are of several types. Among the several types of spider’s silk glands, the principal fibers used in constructing the eggcase are products of the tubuliform glands (TBG), which are present only in females. Development of these glands parallels maturations of the ovaries and fat bodies. In order to understand the mechanism of eggcase-silk production, this paper has examined the fine structural changes of the TBG during the period of egg maturation in the garden spider, Argiope aurentia. Between the two kinds of secretory granules observed in the glandular epithelium of the mature TBG, the electron-dense granules which have paracrystalline structure are revealed to be the precursors of the eggcase silk fibers. During the production of eggcase, rapid release of the secretory product occurs at apical surface by the mechanism of apocrine secretion. Moreover, secondary lysosomes appear due to the rapid disorganization of cellular components during the eggcase formation. Examinations of formed fibers indicate a multicomponent internal structure, and electron micrographs reveal each fiber contains numerous electron lucent fibrils embedded in an amorphous electron dense matrix. The secretory precursors are produced as separated vesicles via well-oriented rER, and no Golgi complex has been found in the glandular epithelial cells.
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KEYWORD
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Tubuliform gland, Silk, Cocoon, Spider, Argiope aurentia
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