Summary
The rapid-freezing and freeze-substitution method was applied for the ultrastructural study of the dermal chromatophores of a teleost, Oryzias latipes. The method was found to be suitable for preserving fragile membranous structures within melanophores and xanthophores. In addition, relatively high electron density in overall profile indicates that the procedure is effective in reducing the extraction of cytoplasmic ground substances that inevitably occurs during the process of conventional chemical fixation and the following dehydration. The improved ultrastructural images clearly show that the pterinosomes, the characteristic pigmentary organelles of xanthophores, are formed through several distinct developmental stages starting from the loose congregations of vesicles derived from the Golgi complex. The earlier stages of development are similar to those found in melanosome formation. Whereas carotenoid pigments in xanthophores in conventional aldehyde-osmium-fixed materials are found to be electrondense membrane-free particles, they are identified as membrane-bounded organelles in the present study. The envelope of these carotenoid vesicles does not exhibit a typical trilaminar structure but appears to be an extremely thin membrane. Carotenoid vesicles are, in most cases, in direct contact with the outer surface of tubular endoplasmic reticulum.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akiyama T, Matsumoto J (1983) The blockade of pigment displacement in swordtail erythrophores by microinjection of antiactin antibody. J Exp Zool 227:405–411
Byers HR, Porter KR (1977) Transformations in the structure of the cytoplasmic ground substance in erythrophores during pigment aggregation and dispersion. J Cell Biol 75:541–558
Dabora SL, Sheetz MP (1988) The microtubule-dependent formation of a tubulovesicular network with characteristics of the ER from cultured cell extracts Cell 54:27–35
Heuser JE, Reese TS, Dennis MJ, Jan Y, Jan L, Evans L (1979) Synaptic vesicle exocytosis captured by quick freezing correlated with quantal transmitter release. J Cell Biol 81:275–300
Ichikawa M, Ichikawa A (1987) The fine structure of sublingual gland acinar cells of the Mongolian gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus, processed by rapid freezing followed by freeze-substitution fixation. Cell Tissue Res 250:305–314
Ichikawa A, Ichikawa M, Hirokawa N (1980) The ultrastructure of rapid-frozen, substitution fixed parotid acinar cells of the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones meridianus). Am J Anat 157:107–110
Ichikawa M, Ichikawa A, Watabe T (1982) High resolution analysis of three-dimensional structure of the Golgi apparatus in rapidfrozen, substitution fixed gerbil sublingual gland acinar cells. J Electron Microsc 31:397–401
Iga T (1977) Potassium-induced melanosome dispersion in melanophores of Oryzias latipes is independent of adrenergic mechanisms. Annot Zool Japon 50:195–202
Kamei-Takeuchi I, Hama T (1971) Structural change of pterinosome (pteridine pigment granule) during the xanthophore differentiation of Oryzias fish. J Ultrastruct Res 34:452–463
Matsumoto J, Obika M (1968) Morphological and biochemical characterization of goldfish erythrophores and their pterinosomes. J Cell Biol 39:233–250
Nakajima Y, Obika M (1986) Growth and maturation of melanosomes in the melanophores of a teleost, Oryzias latipes. Cell Tissue Res 244:279–283
Nishioka M, Ueda H (1985) Electron-microscopic observation on the dermal chromatophores of normal frogs and three kinds of color variants in Rhacophorus schlegelii. Sci Rep Lab Amphibian Biol Hiroshima Univ 7:123–155
Obika M (1986) Intracellular transport of pigment granules in fish chromatophores. Zool Sci 3:1–11
Obika M, Lo SJ, Tchen TT, Taylor JD (1978) Ultrastructural demonstration of hormone-induced movement of carotenoid droplets and endoplasmic reticulum in xanthophores of the goldfish, Carassius auratus L. Cell Tissue Res 190:409–416
Ridge RW (1990) A simple apparatus and technique for the rapidfreeze and freeze-substitution of signle-cell algae. J Electron Microsc 39:120–124
Takeuchi IK (1975) Electron microscopic study on erythrophores of the guppy, Lebistes reticulatus Peters. Annot Zool Japon 48:242–251
Taylor JD (1992) Does the introduction of a new player, the endoplasmic reticulum, create more or less confusion in understanding the mechanism(s) of pigmentary organelle translocation? Pigment Cell Res 5:49–57
Tchen TT, Lo SJ, Lynch TJ, Palazzo RE, Peng G, Walker GR, Wu B-Y, Yu F-X, Taylor JD (1988) Regulation of the distribution of carotenoid droplets in goldfish xanthophores and possible implication to secretory processes. Cell Motil Cytoskel 10:143–152
Turner WA, Taylor JD, Tchen TT (1975) Melanosome formation in goldfish: the role of multivesicular bodies. J Ultrastruct Res 51:16–31
Wakamatsu Y, Obika M, Ozato K (1987) Induction of xanthophores from non-pigmented dermal cells of xanthic goldfish in vitro. Cell Differ 20:161–170
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Obika, M. Formation of pterinosomes and carotenoid granules in xanthophores of the teleost Oryzias latipes as revealed by the rapid-freezing and freeze-substitution method. Cell Tissue Res 271, 81–86 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297544
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00297544