Ultrastructural Study on the Differentiation and the Fate of M cells in Follicle-Associated Epithelium of Rat Peyer's Patch

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

Tetsurou INAMOTO¹  Keigi CHIN¹  Sachiko ONISHI¹  Midori YUJI¹  Wang-Mei QI¹  Nobuhiko HOSHI¹  Hiroshi KITAGAWA¹  Katsuhiko WARITA¹  Toshifumi YOKOYAMA² 

[1] Department of Bioresource and Agrobiosciences, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University;Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University

关键词: cellular differentiation;    M cell;    Peyer's patch;    rat;    ultrastructure;   

DOI  :  10.1292/jvms.69.501

学科分类：兽医学

来源: Japanese Society of Veterinary Science

【 摘 要 】

References(29)Cited-By(9)The differentiation process of immature microvillous epithelial cells to M cells and the fate of M cells in the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues are still unclear. In this study, the differentiation process and the fate of M cells were clarified in rat Peyer's patches under a transmission electron microscope. Almost all immature epithelial cells were found to possess long, slender microvilli, which gradually shortened, thickened and dispersed as the immature epithelial cells migrated away from the crypt orifices. These morphological changes started in the centers and moved to the peripheries of the apical surfaces of epithelial cells, accompanied by the protrusion of apical cytoplasm out of the terminal web. During these changes, the bundles of microfilaments of microvilli never shortened, and both small vesicles in the apical cytoplasm and tiny invaginations of the apical membranes were found. The intraepithelial migrating cells gradually accumulated to form typical intraepithelial pockets. In all FAE, there was no morphological sign of cell death in M cells. The rearrangement of microfilament bundles, the reconstruction of microvilli and the disappearance of pockets resulted in the transformation of M cells into microvillous epithelial cells. These serial ultrastructural changes suggest that M cells are a temporal and transitional cell type caused by the active engulfment of luminal substances and that when the engulfment ceases, the M cells transform into mature microvillous epithelial cells.

【 授权许可】

Unknown