APhaFIG 6 Aging of the anterior pharynx.

APhaFIG 6: Aging of the anterior pharynx.

Disorganization and cell shrinkage occur in the anterior pharynx of aged adults.
A. The C. elegans head showing approximate position of B-D (grey line) in the anterior pharynx.
B. Anterior pharynx sections from young (2-day-old) adults. The overall organization of the pharynx is orderly and regular. pm, pharynx muscle; mc, marginal cell; DNC, dorsal nerve cord; g1, g1 gland process; L&R-SVNC, L & R subventral nerve cords; Ch, lumen channels. (Image source: B, N513A [D. Hall] 384.)
C&D. Images of the anterior pharynx of 15-day-old adults.
C.
Large cavities have formed in the pharynx muscle cells (pm) and some of the marginal cell borders (mc). In some areas, the pharynx muscle has pulled away from the cuticle (arrows). (Image source: N805 [D. Hall] G489.)
D. The marginal cells (mc) in the anterior procorpus in this 15-day adult have significantly deteriorated. The nerve cords are identifiable but chaotic with apparent deterioration of the contents (DNC, L&R-SVNC). In contrast, the muscle cells appear more well-preserved lacking the cavities that appear in nerve cords and marginal cells in either panels C or D (pm). Bar, 5 microns. (Image source: N813 [D. Hall] G510.)

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