Morpho-structural adaptations of the integument in different aquatic organisms

Alessio Alesci; Simona Pergolizzi; Doaa M Mokhtar; Angelo Fumia; Marialuisa Aragona; Giorgia Pia Lombardo; Emmanuele Messina; Roberta D'Angelo; Patrizia Lo Cascio; Ramy K A Sayed; Marco Albano; Gioele Capillo; Eugenia Rita Lauriano

doi:10.1016/j.acthis.2023.152031

Morpho-structural adaptations of the integument in different aquatic organisms

Acta Histochem. 2023 Apr;125(3):152031. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2023.152031. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy. Electronic address: aalesci@unime.it.
² Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98166 Messina, Italy.
³ Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Padiglione C, A. O. U. Policlinico "G. Martino", 98124 Messina, Italy. Electronic address: angelofumia@gmail.com.
⁵ Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy.
⁶ Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag 82524, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy; Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology (IRBIM), National Research Council (CNR), Section of Messina, 98100 Messina, Italy.

PMID: 37075648
DOI: 10.1016/j.acthis.2023.152031

Abstract

The integument acts as a barrier to protect the body from harmful pathogenic infectious agents, parasites, UV rays, trauma, and germs. The integument of invertebrates and vertebrates are structurally different: while invertebrates usually have a simple monolayer epidermis frequently covered by mucus, cuticles, or mineralized structures, vertebrates possess a multilayered epidermis with several specialized cells. This study aims to describe by morphological, histological, and immunohistochemical analyses, the morpho-structural adaptations throughout evolution of the integument of gastropod Aplysia depilans (Gmelin, 1791), ascidian Styela plicata (Lesuer, 1823), myxine hagfish Eptatretus cirrhatus (Forster, 1801) and teleost Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1794) for the first time, with special reference to sensory epidermal cells. Different types of cells could be identified that varied according to the species; including mucous cells, serous glandular cells, clavate cells, club cells, thread cells, and support cells. In all integuments of the specimens analyzed, sensory solitary cells were identified in the epidermis, immunoreactive to serotonin and calbindin. Our study provided an essential comparison of integuments, adding new information about sensory epidermal cells phylogenetic conservation and on the structural changes that invertebrates and vertebrates have undergone during evolution.

Keywords: Evolution; Integument; Invertebrates; Sensory cells; Vertebrates.

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquatic Organisms*
Epidermis
Phylogeny
Skin*
Vertebrates