THE CYTOSKELETON OF THE VENTRAL NEPHROCYTES OF CERATITIS-CAPITATA LARVA

Nephrocytes are cells involved in the regulation of the composition of the hemolymph and are characterized by peripheral finger-like project ions delimiting a labyrinthine channel system. We have combined struct ural and immunological methods to examine the spatial distribution of microtubules and microfilaments in disseminated nephrocytes of Ceratit is capitata larva; the nephrocytes are scattered among the fat-body ce lls, close to the salivary glands. Actin filaments are localized in tw o discrete peripheral domains and microtubules are mostly concentrated in the cortical region. We discuss the possibility that these cytoske letal elements, localized in the finger-like processes of the plasma m embrane, are involved in maintaining the spatial architecture of the c ell periphery and in modifying the junctional complexes that represent the entrance to the labyrinthine channel system.