Summary
The formation and secretion of ecdysteroid by the prothoracic gland cells of Galleria mellonella (Insecta, Lepidoptera) were investigated electron microscopically and immunocytochemically. The moulting hormone ecdysone becomes first evident in vesicles and tubules of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER). The SER forms secretory granules in which ecdysone was shown immunocytochemically. The Golgi apparatus seems not to be directly involved in ecdysone secretion. The secretory granules are released from the cells by exocytosis.
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Supported by the Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig
The author is grateful to Mrs. Angelika Schmidt for her excellent assistance
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Birkenbeil, H. Ultrastructural and immunocytochemical investigation of ecdysteroid secretion by the prothoracic gland of the waxmoth Galleria mellonella . Cell Tissue Res. 229, 433–441 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00214984
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00214984