Wang Ruu Tong, Halpern Mimi
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York 11203.
J Morphol. 1980;164(1):47-67. doi: 10.1002/jmor.1051640105.
The vomeronasal epithelium of adult garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis and T. radix) was studied by light and electron microscopy. The sensory epithelium is extraordinarily thick, consisting of a supporting cell layer, a bipolar cell layer, and an undifferentiated cell layer. The supporting cell layer is situated along the luminal surface and includes supporting cells and the peripheral processes (dendrites) of bipolar neurons. The luminal surfaces of both supporting cells and bipolar neurons are covered with microvilli. Specializations of membrane junctions are always observed between adjacent cells in the subluminal region. Below the supporting cell layer, the epithelium is characterized by a columnar organization. Each column contains a population of bipolar neurons and undifferentiated cells. These cells are isolated from the underlying vascular and pigmented connective tissue by the presence of a thin sheath of satellite cells and a basal lamina. Heterogeneity of cell morphology occurs within each cell column. Generative and undifferentiated cells occupy the basal regions and mature neurons occupy the apical regions. Transitional changes in cell morphology occur within the depth of each cell column. These observations suggest that the vomeronasal cell column is the structural unit of the organ and may represent the dynamic unit for cell replacement as well. A sequential process of cell proliferation, neuronal differentiation, and maturation appears to occur in the epithelium despite the adult state of the animal.
利用光学显微镜和电子显微镜对成年束带蛇（东部束带蛇和红边束带蛇）的犁鼻器上皮进行了研究。感觉上皮异常厚，由支持细胞层、双极细胞层和未分化细胞层组成。支持细胞层位于管腔表面，包括支持细胞和双极神经元的外周突（树突）。支持细胞和双极神经元的管腔表面均覆盖有微绒毛。在管腔下区域的相邻细胞之间总能观察到膜连接特化。在支持细胞层下方，上皮以柱状结构为特征。每个柱包含一群双极神经元和未分化细胞。这些细胞通过一层薄的卫星细胞鞘和基膜与下方的血管和色素性结缔组织分隔开。每个细胞柱内存在细胞形态的异质性。增殖细胞和未分化细胞占据基部区域，成熟神经元占据顶部区域。在每个细胞柱的深度范围内发生细胞形态学上的过渡变化。这些观察结果表明，犁鼻器细胞柱是该器官的结构单位，也可能代表细胞更替的动态单位。尽管动物已成年，但上皮中似乎仍发生细胞增殖、神经元分化和成熟的连续过程。
