Abe H
Research Institute for the Functional Peptides, Yamagata, Japan.
Histol Histopathol. 1996 Jul;11(3):743-68.
The secretory cells in the epithelium of mammalian oviducts produce and release various secretory materials into the lumen. Secretions from such cells provide a suitable environment for the events that occur in the oviductal lumen. This review focuses on the regional differentiation of the secretory cells in mammalian oviducts. Many histological studies have demonstrated regional variations in both the morphological and ultrastructural features of the secretory cells in the oviductal epithelium. Regional differences have been found, for example, in the number of putative secretory granules in the oviductal secretory cells. Histochemical and immunocytochemical studies have also revealed regional differences in the localization of various materials in the oviductal epithelium, suggesting the possibility of regional specificity in the production of various secretory materials by the oviductal epithelial cells. Recent biochemical and immunoelectron microscopical studies have shown that biosynthesis of specific proteins or glycoproteins is associated with region-specific variations in epithelial cells in different oviductal segments. In particular, certain oviduct-specific glycoproteins are produced by secretory cells in specific regions of the oviduct and these glycoproteins may affect fertilization, embryonic development, and sperm functions. The oviductal epithelial cell also provide physiological support to gametes and embryos. The interactions of oviductal epithelial cells with gametes support the development of embryos and the maintenance of sperm functions in vitro. Some studies using coculture systems have suggested regional differences associated with such physiological support by oviductal epithelial cells. Moreover, the expression of functional proteins, such as growth factors, show segmental variations within the oviduct. The regional variations demonstrated in these studies may reflect distinct functional differences among the various segments of the mammalian oviduct. The proposal is presented that despite the fact that the mammalian oviductal tissue is not very complex in terms of structure, the oviductal secretory cells may be highly differentiated along the length of the oviduct.
哺乳动物输卵管上皮中的分泌细胞产生并向管腔释放各种分泌物。这些细胞的分泌物为输卵管管腔中发生的事件提供了适宜的环境。本综述聚焦于哺乳动物输卵管分泌细胞的区域分化。许多组织学研究已证实，输卵管上皮分泌细胞的形态和超微结构特征存在区域差异。例如，已发现输卵管分泌细胞中假定分泌颗粒的数量存在区域差异。组织化学和免疫细胞化学研究还揭示了输卵管上皮中各种物质定位的区域差异，这表明输卵管上皮细胞产生各种分泌物可能具有区域特异性。最近的生化和免疫电子显微镜研究表明，特定蛋白质或糖蛋白的生物合成与不同输卵管节段上皮细胞的区域特异性变化有关。特别是，某些输卵管特异性糖蛋白由输卵管特定区域的分泌细胞产生，这些糖蛋白可能影响受精、胚胎发育和精子功能。输卵管上皮细胞还为配子和胚胎提供生理支持。输卵管上皮细胞与配子的相互作用有助于胚胎发育和体外精子功能的维持。一些使用共培养系统的研究表明，输卵管上皮细胞的这种生理支持存在区域差异。此外，功能蛋白如生长因子的表达在输卵管内也呈现节段性变化。这些研究中显示的区域差异可能反映了哺乳动物输卵管不同节段之间明显的功能差异。有人提出，尽管从结构上来说哺乳动物输卵管组织不是很复杂，但输卵管分泌细胞可能沿输卵管长度高度分化。
