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The ultrastructure of the blood vessels of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas) (Cephalochordata)

I. Relations between blood vessels, epithelia, basal laminae, and “connective Tissue”

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Summary

The ultrastructure of the blood vessels of Branchiostoma has been studied using selected characteristic vessels as examples. It is shown that the vessels are a part of the original blastocoelic cavity and are delimited either by the basal laminae of adjacent epithelia or by connective tissue developed in the blastocoelic space. A brief account of the kinds of “connective tissue” is given. The observed contractility of some vessels depends on two types of contractile filaments situated in the basal part of the surrounding coelomic epithelia. Amoebocytelike cells are present in the blood. They may sometimes lie in contact with the wall of the vessels or with each other, but never form a typical endothelium with junctional complexes and a basal lamina of its own. Actually, there is no endothelium in any part of the vascular system. It is suggested that the term “endothelium” should be reserved for a closed cellular lining (with junctions) on the luminal side of the vessel wall, standing on a basal lamina of its own and forming a barrier for the exchange between blood and surrounding tissue. It is concluded that the principal structure of the vascular system of Branchiostoma is different from that of vertebrates, but the same as that of other coelomate invertebrates. The blood vessels in these animals are typically delimited directly by a basal lamina secreted by epithelia (epidermal, coelomic or intestinal) lying peripheral to this lamina, and a true endothelium is not present (with a few questionable exceptions).

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Abbreviations

ac :

atrial cavity

ace :

atrial epithelium

ao :

aorta

ap :

atrial plexus

ax :

axon bundle

bc :

blood cell

bl :

basal lamina

bl 1 :

basal lamina of intestinal epithelium

bl 2 :

basal lamina of visceral coelomic epithelium

bl 3 :

basal lamina of parietal coelomic epithelium

bl 4 :

basal lamina of atrial epithelium

bll :

basement lamella

cf :

contractile filaments

co :

coelomic cavity

coe :

coelomic epithelium

coe p :

parietal coelomic epithelium

coe v :

visceral coelomic epithelium

ct :

dense connective tissue

dv :

longitudinal dorsal vessel

ep :

epidermis

epe :

epipharyngeal groove epithelium

epg :

epipharyngeal groove

fb :

fibroblast (?)

fi :

collagen fiber

fl :

fibril layer

go :

gonad

hd :

hemidesmosome

ie :

intestinal epithelium

in :

intestine proper

ip :

intestinal plexus

iv :

afferent intestinal vessel

ld :

liver diverticulum

lu :

vascular lumen

me :

myocoelic epithelium

ml :

muscle lamella

mp :

myoseptal plexus

ms :

myoseptum

my :

myomer

myc :

myocoelic cavity

nc :

notochord

ns :

notochordal sheath

ph :

pharynx

suc :

subchordal coelom

sv :

subintestinal vessel

svv :

segmental ventral vessel

vv :

longitudinal ventral vessel

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  1. Institute of Comparative Anatomy, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark

    Hans Rähr

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Supported by a grant from the Danish Natural Science Research Council

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Rähr, H. The ultrastructure of the blood vessels of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas) (Cephalochordata). Zoomorphology 97, 53–74 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310102

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