Observations on some unusual cell types in the enigmatic worm Xenoturbella (phylum uncertain)

The inner epithelially organized gastrodermis of the enigmatic simple worms of the genus Xenoturbella contains numerous partly phagocytized cells of two kinds, ciliated cells (PCCs) and muscle cells (PMCs). PCCs and PMCs have features of undifferentiated cells and do not derive from differentiated adult cells. Homology of phagocytized cells to pulsatile bodies in acoel and nemertodermatid flatworms is therefore rejected. The phagocytized cells might represent an hitherto unknown process of regeneration in Xenoturbella. The phagocytized material contains as much DNA as in all mitochondria and nuclei of the living cells. This is probably caused by lack of digestion of nucleic acids. The genome size of Xenoturbella bocki was determined. It has a C-value of about 0.55 pg.