Morphogenesis of the atrichous isorhiza, a type of nematocyst, in Hydra observed with a monoclonal antibody.

We produced a monoclonal antibody, AE03, which recognized mucous granules in the basal disk gland cells in Hydra and the secreted mucus with which they stick onto substrate. AE03 also recognized atrichous isorhizas, one of the four types of nematocyst present in tentacles, and their nematoblasts present in the body column. With this monoclonal antibody, we could observe the detailed morphogenesis of the atrichous isorhiza from the beginning of its formation. The elongation and invagination processes of external tubes and correspondence between the external tubes and the thread of discharged nematocysts were confirmed.