Summary
Pea aphids left for 48 h in unbuffered osmium tetroxide show heavy staining of many organelles in the symbiote-containing cells (mycetocytes and sheath), embryos and oenocytes very similar to that characteristic of mammalian sterol-synthesizing cells. However, the staining of the pea-aphid cells is, to a large extent, dependent on the presence of cholesterol benzoate, or free cholesterol, in the aphid's diet. In aphids cultured in vitro with 3H mevalonate in the presence of added cholesterol, the incorporation of label into the cholesterol and lanosterol fractions is significantly reduced. If the dietary cholesterol effects a similar inhibition in vivo, the cholesterol-dependent osmium staining could be due to precursors(s) of cholesterol accumulating in the intracellular sites described.
There is also osmium staining of large (normally electron-transparent) vacuoles in mycetocytes, gut and fat body, irrespective of dietary cholesterol.
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Research supported by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin, and by a research grant (PCM 74-2401A01) from the National Science Foundation
The authors are grateful to Dr. E.J. Houk and Dr. G.A. DeZoeten for valuable suggestions, and to Mr. Gary Gaard for technical assistance
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Griffiths, G.W., Beck, S.D. Effect of dietary cholesterol on the pattern of osmium deposition in the symbiote-containing cells of the pea aphid. Cell Tissue Res. 176, 191–203 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229462
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229462