Summary
The mouse vaginal anlage consists of an anterior müllerian part and a posterior part derived from the urogenital sinus: the sinus vagina. Ultrastructural differences between the two parts have been studied. In contrast to the epithelial cells of the müllerian vagina, the cells of the sinus vagina at birth develop a basal cortical zone against the stroma border. Invaginations of the basal cell membrane enter the cortical zone, and minute vesicles are separated off. The sinus vagina has no typical basal lamina. During the postnatal period, the epithelia of both vaginal parts converge into a uniform immature epithelium with a distinct basal lamina. The morphological findings are related to other results concerning the vaginal epithelium.
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Forsberg, JG., Åbro, A. Ultrastructural differences between the sinus and the müllerian epithelium of the mouse vaginal anlage. Z. Anat. Entwickl. Gesch. 135, 67–75 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00525192
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00525192