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The pineal gland of equatorial mammals

I. The pinealocytes of the Malaysian rat (Rattus sabanus)

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Summary

The ultrastructure of the pinealocytes of the Malaysian rat (Rattus sabanus), a mammal inhabiting a zone near the equator where the annual variations of daylength are inconspicuous, was examined and compared with that of pinealocytes of other mammals.

On the basis of the presence of granular vesicles, only one population of pinealocytes was found. A large number of granular vesicles and vesicle-crowned rodlets is characteristic of the pinealocytes of this equatorial species. Vesicle-crowned rodlets are especially numerous in the endings of the pinealocyte processes and; they most often found in direct topographical connection with the perivascular spaces.

The physiological significance of the presence of such large amounts of vesicle-crowned rodlets and of the secretory process characterized by the formation of granular vesicles is discussed.

Résumé

Les pinéalocytes d'un Rat de Malaisie (Rattus sabanus), un animal vivant près de l'équateur donc dans une zone où les variations annuelles de la longueur des jours sont minimes, examinés au microscope électronique ont été comparés à ceux d'autres Mammifères. Une seule population de pinéalocytes a été observée. La présence d'un grand nombre de vésicules granulaires et de rubans circonscrits par des vésicules est la caractéristique premi`ere des pinéalocytes de cette espèce. Les rubans circonscrits par des vésicules ont été plus spécialement observés dans les terminaisons des prolongements des pinéalocytes où ils sont nombreux et la plus souvent en contact directe avec l'espace périvasculaire.

L'importance physiologique de ces rubans circonscrits par des vésicules et des vésicules granulaires est discuté.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Ijdijk 28, 1095, KJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    P. Pévet

  2. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    P. Pévet

  3. Department of Genetic and Cellular Biology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    M. Yadav

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  1. P. Pévet
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  2. M. Yadav
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Pévet, P., Yadav, M. The pineal gland of equatorial mammals. Cell Tissue Res. 210, 417–433 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00220199

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