Schistosoma mansoni: the chemical nature of the secretions produced by the Mehlis' gland and ootype as revealed by cytochemical studies.

The 'secretory pathway' of the Mehlis' gland secretion as well as the maturation of the secretory granules are described. The secretions produced by the Mehlis' gland and the distal ootype in Schistosoma mansoni were identified as neutral glycoproteins. They were both periodate reactive, stained with phosphotungstic acid at low pH, and sensitive to the proteolytic action of papain. The secretions did not strain with both the low-iron diamine and the high-iron diamine methods for the presence of acidic glycoconjugates, and they did not contain a detectable level of sulphydryl groups. The possible role of the secretion from the Mehlis' gland in egg-shell formation is discussed.