MITOTIC RATE AND AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDIES ON THE DERIVATION AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE EPITHELIUM IN THE MOUSE VAGINAL ANLAGE

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The mouse vaginal anlage is formed primarily of 2 parts: the Mullerian vagina with a typical mullerian epithelium of the pseudostratified columnar type, and the sinus vagina with lower, paler stained cells. Later, the epithelium in the Mtlllerian vagina changes its character to a basal zone, consisting of cells similar in several respects to the sinus cells, and a superficial zone retaining the typical Mtlllerian character. The question is whether the basal zone is an expression of a cranially growing sinus epithelium or a differentiation within the Mtlllerian epithelium. The mitotic rate is considerably lower in the sinus epithelium than in the Mtlllerian epithelium and significantly lower in the basal zone than in the superficial zone in the greater part of that region where the zones are seen together. As discussed, these results agree with both a Mtlllerian and a sinus origin of the cells in the basal zone. To solve the problem, female young were treated with thymidine-H3 and studied before and after the development of the 2 epithelial zones in the Mtlllerian vagina. Labelling was low in the sinus epithelium, but high and approximately the same in the superficial and the basal epithelial zone. These results definitely argue that the cells in the basal zone are Mtlllerian in origin. The cells in the superficial zone finally also change their character and thereafter the epithelium in the whole vagina is uniform. Thus, the mouse vaginal epithelium has a dual origin: the cranial part from Mtlllerian epithelium, the caudal part from sinus epithelium.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: