Ultrastructure and differentiation of the larval esophageal muscle cells of the starfish Pisaster ochraceus

Journal of Morphology
B J Crawford, C Martin

Abstract

The muscle cells that cause constriction of the starfish larval esophagus (esophageal muscle cells) are one of the first cell types to express their differentiated morphological characteristics during development. Ultrastructurally these muscle cells resemble vertebrate and invertebrate smooth muscles. They contain a nucleus, a Golgi apparatus, contractile myofilaments, hemidesmosome-like structures, and what appears to be a simple sarcoplasmic reticulum. In asteroid embryos, this muscle layer originates during mouth formation when mesenchyme cells migrate from the tips of the coeloms to the esophagus. Once there, they elongate, forming processes. Over the next few days, the processes become filled with arrays of longitudinally arranged thick and thin myofilaments and thin sacs of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. The latter appear between the bundles of contractile filaments and the cell membranes. Contractile activity begins at approximately this time. The cisternae may represent a sarcoplasmic reticulum that is required for contraction. The majority of the esophageal muscle cell processes extend around the circumference of the developing esophagus, but occasional cells may be oriented in other directions. The latter cells are al...Continue Reading

References

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Citations

Oct 20, 2007·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Robert Muscarella, Theodore H Fleming
Aug 26, 2019·Cell and Tissue Research·Rossella AnnunziataMaria I Arnone

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