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The tapeworm tegument: a model system for studies on membrane structure and function in host-parasite relationships.

LUMSDEN, R. D. 1975. The tapeworm tegument: a model system for studies on membrane structure and function in host-parasite relationships. Trans. Amer. Micros. Soc., 94: 501-507. The tapeworm "cuticle" is, in reality, a cellular syncytium, referred to in the recent literature as a tegument. Lacking a gut, tapeworms utilize the tegment alone for chemical interchange with the host. Attendant to this function is a brush border containing a number of transport mechanisms and hydrolytic enzymes. The external limiting membrane is coated with a layer of carbohydrate-rich polyelectrolytes, viz. a glycocalyx. This structure serves as a binding surface for inorganic ions and higher molecular weight organic compounds, including host enzymes. Certain of the latter retain activity, and may thereby contribute to contact-digestive functions at the surface of the worm. Others are bound in a catalytically-inactive configuration, which may serve to protect the parasite from digestion. Intrinsic enzymes of the tegument membrane surface include phosphohydrolases and a ribonuclease; the hydrolysis products of these activities interact with proximal transport loci and are thereby absorbed. Thus, the tapeworm tegument includes a digestive-absorptive-protective surface, whose functions involve the interaction of both parasite and host components within the structural framework of a membrane-defined interface.