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Cellulose in the house of the appendicularianOikopleura rufescens

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Summary

By electron diffraction analysis, highly crystalline cellulose Iβ was found in the house (a special structure in which the tunicate lives) of the appendicularianOikopleura rufescens. Cellulose microfibrils 20 nm in width were observed in a random array or highly organized with rectangular spacing of 2 to 10 (im in the house. The bundled cellulose microfibrils formed in the inlet filters, which are highly ordered meshwork structures. This paper provides the first account of the existence of cellulose in the house of an appendicularian. Our findings showed that the house and tunic are homologous tissues among the tunicates, and that the common ancestor of the tunicates (ascidians, thaliaceans, and appendicularians) already possessed cellulose-biosynthetic ability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wood Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Uji

    S. Kimura & T. Itoh

  2. Department of Chemistry, Biology and Marine Science, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus, Nishihara, Okinawa

    C. Ohshima & E. Hirose

  3. Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Nakano, Tokyo

    J. Nishikawa

Authors
  1. S. Kimura
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  2. C. Ohshima
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  3. E. Hirose
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  4. J. Nishikawa
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  5. T. Itoh
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Correspondence to T. Itoh.

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Kimura, S., Ohshima, C., Hirose, E. et al. Cellulose in the house of the appendicularianOikopleura rufescens . Protoplasma 216, 71–74 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02680133

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02680133

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