FREQUENCY AND LOCALIZATION OF BINUCLEATE CELLS IN THE PLACENTOMES OF RUMINANTS

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 4, 527-539
Abstract
Throughout most of normal pregnancy 15-20% of the cells of the trophectodermal epithelium of the cow, deer, goat and sheep placentomes were binucleate when a counting technique suitable for EM was used. Of this binucleate cell population .apprx. 1/5 were discovered to be migrating up to and across the microvillar junction at all stages of pregnancy. This migration appears to serve at least 2 functions: the transfer of the characteristic granules of the fetal binucleate cell to the maternal circulation, and the formation of the placentomal syncytium bounding the maternal connective tissue in sheep and goat.