rodlet cell

a pear-shaped cell with a distinct capsule found in various tissues of fishes but lacking in Elasmobranchii. It has a nucleus at the mid-end and longitudinally oriented rodlets. In epithelia it is oriented parallel to the epithelial cells with the distal end containing the nucleus, distal to the lumen; in connective tissue, no particular orientation has been noted. Has been thought to be a parasite, perhaps a sporozoan, and has even been given a scientific name (Rhabdospora thelohani). But typical nuclear stains do not take in the rodlets, so it seems unlikely that the rodlets are nuclei of a parasite. Tests show the rodlets are protein with varying amounts of attached sugars, probably in the form of a neutral glycoprotein. The function is likely secretory and is perhaps involved in ion transport