Narong Chungsamarnyart

Serotonin-storing cells of the chicken duodenum: light, fluorescence and electron microscopy, and immunohistochemistry

SummaryIn an attempt to identify duodenal endocrine cells emitting formaldehyde-induced fluorescence (FIF), chicken duodena were studied by combined fluorescence, ultrastructural, silver impregnation and immunohistochemical methods in the same or consecutive sections. Our results show that: (1) Almost all the cells emitting yellow fluorescence by both the Falck-Hillarp and the Furness methods exhibit an immunohistochemical reaction with serotonin (5-HT) antiserum. (2) Almost all cells radiating yellow fluorescence by the Furness method stain with toluidine blue in Epon-embedded sections but, by high-voltage electron microscopy, can be subdivided into two types of cell containing either small round or polymorphous types of granules. (3) In the sections from which resin had been removed, all the cells emitting yellow FIF show argentaffinity by the Singh method, but not all cells display argyrophilia with the Grimelius method. (4) Cells exhibiting both argyrophil and argentaffin reactions in deresined serial sections are also separated into two types of cell, containing either small spherical or polymorphous types of granules by conventional electron microscopy in thin sections. Therefore, chicken enterochromaffin cells emit yellow FIF, store 5-HT, show both argentaffinity and argyrophilia, but are ultrastructurally classified into two types of granule-containing cells which may be related to polypeptides coexisting with 5-HT.

Cardiac-like musculature of the intrapulmonary venous wall of the long-clawed shrew (Sorex unguiculatus), common tree shrew (Tupaia glis) and common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The cardiac‐like musculature is distributed not only in the heart wall but also in the intrapulmonary venous wall in a few species of insectivores. It has been suggested that the evolutionary origin of venous cardiac‐like musculature may be traceable to a basic stock of certain mammalian lines of descent. So, it is important to clarify whether the musculature may be a common structure in lower mammals from insectivores to primates and to examine the functional significance of the structure.

A possible mode of release of secretory granules from adrenomedullary cells in domestic fowl.

ニワトリにインシュリンを注射し, その1, 3, 9, 12時間後の副腎髄質細胞の変化を電子顕微鏡により観察した. 脱顆粒が盛んな時には, 顆粒の内容に変化が起り, 電子密度の低い内容をもつ顆粒がふえ, 相互に癒合し, 小空胞を形成する. 小空胞には顆粒が開口し, 大空胞の出現をみる. 細胞の周辺の一部の大空胞は細胞外に開いている. 少なくとも急激な分泌が起る際には, この空胞形成が, 顆粒の分泌と密に関係するものと推定された.