Abstract
In the thyroid, new follicle formation from preexisting follicles (mother follicle-derived folliculogenesis) has been poorly understood. To address this issue, we analyzed mother follicle-derived folliculogenesis, using a thyroid tissue-organotypic culture that retains three-dimensional follicles with both thyrocytes and C cells over a long period. Three types of mother follicle-derived folliculogenesis occurred only at the periphery of the tissue fragments embedded in collagen gel: (1) solid nest, (2) budding and (3) lumen-dividing types. Immunohistochemistry showed that neogenic follicles rarely had calcitonin-positive C cells. Electron microscopy showed that their component thyrocytes expressed normal polarity. In growth, bromodeoxyuridine uptake of thyrocytes at the tissue periphery was about 5 times the uptake that occurred at the center. C cells had no uptake. Thyrotropin (TSH, 10 mU/ml) and free calcium (0.17~1.95 mM), which are associated with the biological behavior of thyrocytes and C cells, respectively, did not affect the events described above. The data indicate that thyrocytes, but not C cells, actively undergo growth and three types of mother follicle-derived folliculogenesis at the tissue periphery in a TSH- or free calcium-independent manner. This suggests that the tissue periphery, which may escape from contact inhibition of cell growth, is the regenerative site.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Messrs. H. Ideguchi, S. Nakahara, F. Mutoh, Ms. M. Fushihara and Mrs. M. Nishida for technical assistance, and Messrs. T. Tanamachi and Y. Tateishi for the photograph. We also thank Mr. T. Tateishi for the illustrations.
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Toda, S., Aoki, S., Suzuki, K. et al. Thyrocytes, but not C cells, actively undergo growth and folliculogenesis at the periphery of thyroid tissue fragments in three-dimensional collagen gel culture. Cell Tissue Res 312, 281–289 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-003-0718-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-003-0718-0