Excess retinoid acts through the stroma to produce mucous glands from newborn hamster cheek pouch in vitro.

Many morphogenetic processes are modified or initiated by retinoids. The cheek pouch of the newborn hamster can be induced to develop mucous glands in vitro by adding excess retinoid. The objective of this study was to determine whether the retinoid acted through the epithelium or the mesenchymal stroma. Explants of cheek pouch were grown for 7 days in either standard medium, or medium supplemented with 6 micrograms/ml retinyl acetate (RAc; 1.8 x 10(-5) M). After separation of most explants into epithelium and mesenchyme by trypsinization, the separated tissues were recombined in all possible ways and cultured for a further 1-2 weeks in standard medium. All explants were analysed histologically and/or histochemically from complete serial paraffin sections. No glands were formed in 30 recombinants containing stroma that had not been exposed to RAc, but four of 25 recombinants containing previously exposed stroma had glands, as well as four of 18 unseparated explants exposed to RAc. Exposure of epithelium to RAc did not result in the incidence of glands. It was concluded that RAc acting through the stroma was responsible for the instructive interaction with the epithelium for gland formation. A molecular mechanism is suggested.