LOCALIZATION, WITH MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES AND BY DETECTION OF AUTONOMOUS FLUORESCENCE, OF BLOOD-CELLS IN THE TISSUES OF THE VANADIUM-RICH ASCIDIAN, ASCIDIA-SYDNEIENSIS-SAMEA

Ascidians have several types of blood cells which have been reported t o be involved in various functions. However, it is still unclear what type of blood cell participates in each of various functions and in wh ich tissue each type of blood cell localize in ascidians. As a necessa ry step to make clear the important and intractable problems, the loca lization of four different types of blood cells was examined using two kinds of cell marker, monoclonal antibodies and autonomous fluorescen ce. Consequently, it was revealed that signet ring cells were the only blood cells that were localized in the connective tissues around the alimentary canal and the amoebocytes were mainly distributed in the tr ansverse vessels of the branchial basket. The morula cells and compart ment cells were distributed under the epidermis of the mantle around t he visceral region.