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Specializations for excitation-contraction coupling in the podial retractor cells of the starfish Stylasterias forreri

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Summary

Ultrastructural examination of the podium of the asteroid echinoderm Stylasterias forreri has revealed that cells of the coelomic epithelium and cells of the retractor muscle should be considered as components of a single epithelium. The podial retractor cells are, therefore, myoepithelial in nature. This report concentrates on those ultrastructural features of the retractor cells that are most likely involved with excitation-contraction coupling. The spatial arrangement of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the couplings between the sarcoplasmic reticulum and sarcolemma, and an intramembranous specialization of the sarcolemma are documented and discussed. Current concepts regarding the innervation of the retractor cells of the podium and the protractor cells of the ampulla are reviewed, and specific proposals for further investigation of podial innervation are outlined.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

    Michael J. Cavey & Richard L. Wood

  2. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

    Michael J. Cavey & Richard L. Wood

Authors
  1. Michael J. Cavey
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  2. Richard L. Wood
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Additional information

This investigation was supported by Research Operating Grant A0484 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (M.J.C.) and by general research funds from the Department of Anatomy of the University of Southern California (R.L.W.). Mr. Steve Osborne and Ms. Aileen Kuda provided technical assistance. A portion of this study was conducted at the Friday Harbor Laboratories of the University of Washington, and the authors gratefully acknowledge the cooperation and hospitality of the Director, Dr. A.O. Dennis Willows

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Cavey, M.J., Wood, R.L. Specializations for excitation-contraction coupling in the podial retractor cells of the starfish Stylasterias forreri . Cell Tissue Res. 218, 475–485 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00210108

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