Ultrastructural investigation of the spore-forming protist Nephridiophaga blattellae in the Malpighian tubules of the German cockroach Blattella germanica.

Multinuclear plasmodia of the sporogenic protist Nephridiophaga blattellae are found intracellularly and in the lumen of the Malpighian tubules of the German cockroach Blattella germanica. Spore formation occurs only in the lumen. During sporogony, about 10-35 spores measuring 5.5x3.2 microm are endogenously formed within a plasmodium. Sporoblasts arise by the fusion of cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum into a double membranous wall, which encloses a generative nucleus plus a portion of cytoplasm. Several somatic nuclei remain in the residual cytoplasm. Sporoblast and residual cytoplasm include mitochondria of the tubular type, endoplasmic reticulum, and many free ribosomes. During spore maturation, electron-dense wall material is deposited between the spore membranes, and the spores gain their typical oval, biconcave form. Freeze-etched spores reveal a small, central, cap-like structure, which may be the site where an infectious sporoplasm could emerge. Mature spores always have one nucleus, whereas early sporoblast stages with two small nuclei were found by transmission electron microscopy. Many nuclei of different developmental stages contain granules within the nuclear envelope. The systematic position of N. blattellae is unresolved. In certain respects it is reminiscent of Haplosporidia. However, the organisms of the two groups have different spore-forming processes and haplosporosomes are missing in the nephridiophagids. Therefore a new phylum might have to be erected for members of the family Nephridiophagidae.