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Ultrastructural differentiation and enzymatic localization of phosphatases in the developing duodenal epithelium of the mouse

II. The newborn mouse

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Summary

The morphological and cytochemical modifications taking place during the first days of neonatal life have been studied at the ultrastructural level in the duodenum of mice. In the first week, the supranuclear part of the absorbing cells is formed by a network of smooth tubules and vacuoles connected with each other. Most of these formations show alkaline phosphatase activity. Below this zone, a cluster of dense tubules and dense bodies, already described in the last days of foetal life, (Hugon and Borgers, 1969) is situated above the Golgi apparatus and the nucleus. Alkaline and acid phosphatase activities are present in this cluster but the Golgi cisternae and vesicles are negative for both enzymes.

During the second week, the supranuclear zone of the absorbing cells presents striking modifications with formations of autophagic vacuoles and disappearance of the network of smooth profiles. However, the phosphatase activities are still present on the remaining dense tubules and dense bodies. On the sixteenth day, the morphological structure of the absorptive cells is rather similar to that observed in the full-grown gut. Alkaline phosphatase appears in the Golgi cisternae and acid phosphatase in the Golgi vesicles. These findings are briefly discussed in relation to the absorption of proteins by the neonatal gut and to the concept of the vacuolar apparatus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Electron Microscopy Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Medical Center University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Que., Canada

    J. S. Hugon

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  1. J. S. Hugon
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This work was supported by the grant no. N. D. G./27 from the Medical Research Council of Canada.

The author is greatly indebted to Dr. R. Côté, M. D. and Dr. N. Brière for their critical reading of the manuscript, and to Mr. M. Borgers and Mr. M. Couture for their skillful technical aid.

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Hugon, J.S. Ultrastructural differentiation and enzymatic localization of phosphatases in the developing duodenal epithelium of the mouse. Histochemie 22, 109–124 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303622

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303622

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