Metabolite supply in oocytes of Nereis virens: role of nucleosides

Gamete development in Nereis virens and other nereidid polychaetes is organized in a simple way. Follicular tissues are absent and the germ cells develop floating freely in the coelomic fluid, which thus serves as the vehicle for the supply of substances required for oocyte growth. This overview focusses on the role of exogenous purine nucleosides for the growing oocytes. Eleocytes, a coelomic cell type which is proliferated in large amounts at the beginning of sexual maturation, supply purine nucleosides to support nucleic acid synthesis in the oocytes. Eleocytes can store large amounts of purine nucleotides (up to 50 µ mol ml−1 cell vol.) in the form of AMP and ADP. During oogenesis, thes…