Blood Cell Ultrastructure of the Ascidian Botryllus schlosseri L. II. Pigment Cells

Colonies of Botryllus schlosseri L., bred in the laboratory and genetically selected as regards the blue and/or reddish pigments, were used. The following phenotypes were investigated under the electron microscope: (a) blue colonies without reddish pigment; (b) reddish colonies without blue pigment; (c) colonies with both blue and reddish pigments; (d) colonies with neither blue nor reddish pigments. In the pigmented colonies, a specialized blood pigment cell type was recognized that, in giant membrane-limited vacuoles, contained a great number of granules. In general, the granules were similar in size, not individually limited by a membrane and were made up with electrondense material often arranged in concentric rings. Although there could be some variability within the same cell, in each phenotype the granules displayed a characteristic pattern so that the differences in colour of the granules, as seen in vivo, were paralleled by differences in the ultrastructural architecture. In the unpigmented colonies also, granulated vacuolar cells, rare in number but morphologically comparable to the pigment cells, were seen. On the basis of these results, the hypothesis of the existence of a prospective pigment cell and of a common origin for all the pigment cells of B. schlosseri is discussed.