THE EPITHELIA OF THE DEVELOPING FEMALE GENITAL TRACT IN THE SHEEP

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Abstract
The stratified epithelium of the urogenital sinus in the sheep is characterised by a high content of glycogen and a very low content of demonstrable cytoplasmic protein, while the columnar Mullerian epithelium contains relatively little glycogen. By about midterm the Mullerian epithelium at the caudal end of the upper vaginal segment becomes converted into a stratified polygonal form with characters similar to, but not identical with, those of the sinus epithelium. In both sinus and Mullerian epithelia the glycogen accumulation appears to be only a transitory developmental phase, as it is in the epidermis. It is concluded that epithelia of Mullerian origin may exhibit either a stratified squamous or a columnar form, depending upon their site in the genital tract and the influences which are acting upon them. The stratified Mullerian epithelium of the vagina appears to constitute an individual category, with its own characteristic responses to hormonal stimulation.