TY - JOUR
T1 - Ultrastructure of the nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial (clara) cell of mammalian lung
T2 - I. A comparison of rabbit, Guinea pig, rat, hamster, and mouse
AU - Plopper, Charles
AU - Mariassy, Andrew T.
AU - Hill, Lila H.
PY - 1980/1/1
Y1 - 1980/1/1
N2 - Two morphologic characteristics have been used to define the nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial cell: (1) abundance of agranular endoplasmic reticulum (AER) and (2) numerous membrane-bound ovoid granules. To quantitatively and qualitatively assess the ultrastructural homogeneity of this lung cell type among laboratory mammals used in lung research, we examined tissue from adult male rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice. Following fixation by airway infusion at constant pressure (30 cm H2O), lungs were processed by a selective embedding technique and bronchioles of known anatomic location were examined by electron microscopy. Nonciliated bronchiolar epithelium of all five species contained ovoid granules and abundant AER. Granules were most abundant in the rat (11.1 ± 8.8 per cell) and least in the hamster (4.4 ± 5.2 per cell). Granules were largest in hamster (0.72 ± 0.25 μm) versus 0.44 μm or less in the other species. Granules were of uniform electron density except in the guinea pig. AER was found throughout the cell in hamster and restricted to apical regions in others. Large spherical mitochondria with few cristae were present only in mice, rabbit, and guinea pig. We concluded that there was considerable interspecies variation in abundance, size, and morphology of the granules, in abundance and distribution of AER; and in mitochondrial morphology.
AB - Two morphologic characteristics have been used to define the nonciliated bronchiolar epithelial cell: (1) abundance of agranular endoplasmic reticulum (AER) and (2) numerous membrane-bound ovoid granules. To quantitatively and qualitatively assess the ultrastructural homogeneity of this lung cell type among laboratory mammals used in lung research, we examined tissue from adult male rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice. Following fixation by airway infusion at constant pressure (30 cm H2O), lungs were processed by a selective embedding technique and bronchioles of known anatomic location were examined by electron microscopy. Nonciliated bronchiolar epithelium of all five species contained ovoid granules and abundant AER. Granules were most abundant in the rat (11.1 ± 8.8 per cell) and least in the hamster (4.4 ± 5.2 per cell). Granules were largest in hamster (0.72 ± 0.25 μm) versus 0.44 μm or less in the other species. Granules were of uniform electron density except in the guinea pig. AER was found throughout the cell in hamster and restricted to apical regions in others. Large spherical mitochondria with few cristae were present only in mice, rabbit, and guinea pig. We concluded that there was considerable interspecies variation in abundance, size, and morphology of the granules, in abundance and distribution of AER; and in mitochondrial morphology.
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U2 - 10.3109/01902148009069644
DO - 10.3109/01902148009069644
M3 - Article
C2 - 7227343
AN - SCOPUS:0019301282
VL - 1
SP - 139
EP - 154
JO - Experimental Lung Research
JF - Experimental Lung Research
SN - 0190-2148
IS - 2
ER -