Campaniform sensilla on cockroach legs provide a good model system for the study of mechanoreceptive sensory transduction. This paper describes the structure of campaniform sensilla on the cockroach tibia as revealed by light- and electron-microscopy. Campaniform sensilla are proprioceptive mechanoreceptors associated with the exoskeleton. The function of each sensillum centers around a single primary sense cell, a large bipolar neuron whose 40 µ-wide cell body is available for electrophysiological investigation with intracellular microelectrodes. Its axon travels to the central nervous system; its dendrite gives rise to a modified cilium which is associated with the cuticle. The tip of the 20 µ-long dendrite contains a basal body, from which arises a 9 + 0 connecting cilium. This cilium passes through a canal in the cuticle, and expands in diameter to become the sensory process, a membrane-limited bundle of 350–1000 parallel microtubules. The tip of the sensory process is firmly attached to a thin cap of exocuticle; mechanical depression of this cap, which probably occurs during walking movements, effectively stimulates the sensillum. The hypothesis is presented that the microtubules of the sensory process play an important role in mechanoelectric transduction in cockroach campaniform sensilla.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 January 1971
Article|
January 01 1971
THE FINE STRUCTURE OF COCKROACH CAMPANIFORM SENSILLA
David T. Moran,
David T. Moran
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Search for other works by this author on:
Kent M. Chapman,
Kent M. Chapman
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Search for other works by this author on:
Richard A. Ellis
Richard A. Ellis
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Search for other works by this author on:
David T. Moran
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Kent M. Chapman
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Richard A. Ellis
From the Biological Laboratories, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, and the Neurosciences Section and Cell Biology Section of the Division of Biological and Medical Sciences, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
Received:
May 11 1970
Revision Received:
July 06 1970
Online ISSN: 1540-8140
Print ISSN: 0021-9525
Copyright © 1970 by The Rockefeller University Press
1971
J Cell Biol (1971) 48 (1): 155–173.
Article history
Received:
May 11 1970
Revision Received:
July 06 1970
Citation
David T. Moran, Kent M. Chapman, Richard A. Ellis; THE FINE STRUCTURE OF COCKROACH CAMPANIFORM SENSILLA . J Cell Biol 1 January 1971; 48 (1): 155–173. doi: https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.48.1.155
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
Sign in via your Institution
Sign in via your InstitutionEmail alerts
Advertisement
Advertisement