XXIV.—On a bifid earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)

Ceramide glycanase from the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris.

Ceramide glycanase (CGase) is an enzyme that cleaves the linkage between the sugar chain and the ceramide. To make this enzyme readily available, we have developed a simple method for preparing it from the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris. The method involves Bio-Gel A-0.5m, octyl-Sepharose and p-aminophenylthiogalactoside-agarose column chromatography. By gel filtration, the molecular mass of e...

The nitrogenous metabolism of the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris).

Ontogenetic scaling of burrowing forces in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris.

In hydrostatic skeletons, it is the internal fluid under pressure surrounded by a body wall in tension (rather than a rigid lever) that enables the stiffening of the organism, the antagonism of muscles and the transmission of force from the muscles to the environment. This study examined the ontogenetic effects of body size on force production by an organism supported with a hydrostatic skeleto...

Scaling of the hydrostatic skeleton in the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris.

The structural and functional consequences of changes in size or scale have been well studied in animals with rigid skeletons, but relatively little is known about scale effects in animals with hydrostatic skeletons. We used glycol methacrylate histology and microscopy to examine the scaling of mechanically important morphological features of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris over an ontogenet...

A Fine Structural Analysis of the Epidermis of the Earthworm, Lumbricus Terrestris L

A fine structural analysis of the cuticle, epidermal epithelium, and underlying fibrous tissue of the earthworm is presented. The extreme scarcity or absence of fibroblasts in this animal is pointed out. This finding is further evidence for the epithelial origin of the cuticular fibers, and suggests that at least some of the collagenous connective tissue fibers in the interior of this animal ar...