[Electron microscopic and electron histochemical study of mitochondrial inclusions in insect intestine epithelial cells].

The electron microscope investigation of the midgut epithelial cells of Chaoborus obscuripes revealed special membrane formations in mitochondria. The mitochondrial inclusions (MI) look like small membranous whorls about 0.2--0.3 microns in diameter. In a certain period of functional activity, MI start leaving the mitochondria and appear in cytoplasm. Later, large multimembrane structures (MS) composed of parallel membranes in concentric or whorl--like arrangement are observed in the cytoplasm. At first MS are situated in the vicinity of mitochondria, then they gather near the base of the villus. The relationship between appearance of MI and MS in the cytoplasm and the digestion process was revealed. Treatment of ultrathin sections with H202 or H5J06 showed MI and MS to be composed mainly of lipids. This suggests that MI and MS,probably, take part in the lipids metabolism of the midgut epithelial cells of insect.