Oikawa T, Suzuki K, Saito T R, Takahashi K W, Taniguchi K
Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Nippon Veterinary and Animal Science University, Tokyo, Japan.
Anat Rec. 1998 Oct;252(2):301-10. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199810)252:2<301::AID-AR16>3.0.CO;2-R.
There is no report on the fine structure of three types of olfactory organs in Xenopus laevis. Their functional assignments in olfaction are not yet established. The fine structure of three types of olfactory organs, olfactory epithelium (OE), vomeronasal organ (VNO), and middle chamber epithelium (MCE), was examined in Xenopus laevis by light and electron microscopy. The olfactory cells of the OE and the sensory cells of the VNO were equipped with cilia and microvilli, respectively, similar to terrestrial animals that possess both the OE and the VNO. On the other hand, the sensory cells of the MCE were classified into two types, the sensory cells with cilia and the sensory cells with microvilli, like those of the OE in fish. These findings suggest that the OE and the VNO in Xenopus laevis detect different kinds of odoriferous molecules in air, whereas the MCE is involved in the perception of odorants in water.
关于非洲爪蟾三种嗅觉器官的精细结构尚无报道。它们在嗅觉中的功能分配尚未确定。通过光学显微镜和电子显微镜对非洲爪蟾的三种嗅觉器官，即嗅觉上皮（OE）、犁鼻器（VNO）和中间腔上皮（MCE）的精细结构进行了检查。OE的嗅觉细胞和VNO的感觉细胞分别配备有纤毛和微绒毛，这与同时拥有OE和VNO的陆生动物相似。另一方面，MCE的感觉细胞分为两种类型，即有纤毛的感觉细胞和有微绒毛的感觉细胞，类似于鱼类的OE。这些发现表明，非洲爪蟾的OE和VNO检测空气中不同种类的气味分子，而MCE参与水中气味物质的感知。
