Cytochemical investigations on endocrine-like cells of the digestive tract of the ascidian Styela plicata.

The digestive tract of Styela plicata was examined by cytochemical methods with the aim of displaying the endocrine-like cells. There are different endocrine-like cell types in the gastric epithelium which can be distinguished by their cytochemical characteristics in G-like (Type I), A(A2)-like (Type II), B-like (Type III) and (D (A1)-like (Type IV) cells; while in the esophageal and intestinal epithelium only enterochromaffin-like cells are present.