HISTOCHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF GLYCOCONJUGATES OF EPITHELIAL-CELLS IN THE HUMAN FALLOPIAN-TUBE

  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 52  (2) , 207-219
Abstract
In human fallopian tubes, secretory cells made up .apprx. 70% and ciliated cells most of the remainder of the epithelium. At the light microscopic level, lectin-peroxidase conjugates and other methods demonstrated on secretory cells a surface glycocalyx containing glycoconjugates with fucose residues, terminal sialic acid-.beta.-galactose disaccharides and sulfate esters. Secretory cells also expressed ABO blood group antigens, on their surface, staining for terminal .alpha.-N-acetylgalactosamine and .alpha.-galactose in blood group A and B subjects, respectively. The glycocalyx coating the cilia of all ciliated cells contained an acidic glycoconjugate with terminal sialic acid-.beta.-galactose disaccharides. Ciliated cells ranged from strongly positive to negative in staining for blood group ABO antigens, fucose and terminal .beta.-galactose. The glycocalyx on the surface of cilia differed from that on the secretory cell surface in lacking sulfate esters and possessing terminal sialic acid-.beta.-galactose disaccharides cytochemically unlike those on secretory cells. Cytoplasmic granules, presumably secretory in nature, stained for blood group antigen in secretory cells of some specimens. Two lectin conjugates with affinity for the core region of N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides revealed bodies interpreted as lysosomes in ciliated and secretory cells of most specimens. The latter lectins also stained mast cells intensely, presumably because of affinity for N-acetylglucosamine. The luminal surface of endothelial cells stained heavily for fucose and for a terminal sialic acid-.beta.-galactose disaccharide like that on the surface of cilia. The staining for carbohydrate did not vary qualitatively and the ratio of secretory to ciliated cells did not differ with the phase of the menstrual cycle. The salpingeal epithelium in 2 patients with inactive endometrium did not differ from the others. The epithelium in a specimen from a patient with uterine fibroids showed foci of mucous metaplasia, containing a nonsulfated sialylated glycoconjugate. At the EM level, fucosylated glycoconjugate was visualized with a specific lectin conjugate on the surface of the secretory cells but not on the surface of ciliated and endothelial cells. Infrequent cytoplasmic granules containing mucosubstance apparently provided the cell mechanism in secretory cells for collecting and transporting material from biosynthetic sites to the glycocalyx. Lack of reactivity with the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate technique on cilia contrasted with the staining by this method on the surface of microvilli of ciliated cells and on the apical plasmalemma of secretory cells. Finely dispersed glycogen occurred in all secretory cells. Coarsely aggregated glycogen was observed in a mitochondria-poor type of ciliated cell but not in the mitochondria-rich ciliated cells.