Metamorphosis of the perirectal Malpighian tubules in the mealworm Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae). I. Histology and histochemistry

Abstract

The perirectal Malpighian tubules of both larva and adult T. molitor are highly specialized for a fluid transport role. Related to this function are a number of structural specializations, including a thick brush border which lines the lumen of the tubules. The brush border consists of closely packed microvilli containing mitochondria. Although the perirectal tubules survive the transformation from larva to adult they undergo at the cellular level a sequence of dramatic changes. During the early stages of metamorphosis there is a phase of dedifferentiation and autolysis involving the partial breakdown of the brush border and the destruction of large numbers of mitochondria. A conspicuous cytological manifestation of these processes is the transfer of membrane lipids from the brush border into intracellular osmiophilic bodies (autolysosomes). During the later stages of metamorphosis, i.e. adult development, the cells progressively redifferentiate. As the brush border is rebuilt there is an increase in the number of mitochondria concomitant with a decline in the number of osmiophilic bodies, indicating that the membrane lipid is reutilized for mitochondrial genesis.The results show that the processes of isolation and digestion of mitochondria, the accumulation and retention of valuable breakdown products, and their subsequent reutilization are integral parts of the economy of the perirectal tubule cells during metamorphosis.