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Updated: Apr 20, 2026

Histology Basics and Cell Death Detection in Honeybee Tissue
Published on: July 7, 2022
Peritrophic membrane origin in adult bees (Hymenoptera): immunolocalization
Aparecida das Dores Teixeira1, Solange Marques-Araújo2, José Cola Zanuncio2
1Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, 36570-000 Viçosa, MG, Brazil.
The midgut is a region of the digestive tract of bees with the lumen lined by a peritrophic membrane that is composed of chitin and proteins (peritrophins). The origin of the peritrophins in the midgut of adult bees is unknown. This study used an anti-peritrophin 55-kDa antibody to immunolocalize the sites of the peritrophic membrane synthesis in nine species of adult bees' representatives of different families and sociability levels. In all studied species the peritrophin-55 is produced by digestive cells in the entire midgut in the rough endoplasmic reticulum following transference to Golgi apparatus and released by secretory vesicles, which fuses with the plasma membrane and microvilli. Thus, in the representatives of different groups of bees, the PM is of type I.
The midgut is a region of the digestive tract of bees with the lumen lined by a peritrophic membrane that is composed of chitin and proteins (peritrophins). The origin of the peritrophins in the midgut of adult bees is unknown. This study used an anti-peritrophin 55-kDa antibody to immunolocalize the sites of the peritrophic membrane synthesis in nine species of adult bees' representatives of different families and sociability levels. In all studied species the peritrophin-55 is produced by digestive cells in the entire midgut in the rough endoplasmic reticulum following transference to Golgi apparatus and released by secretory vesicles, which fuses with the plasma membrane and microvilli. Thus, in the representatives of different groups of bees, the PM is of type I.
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