PURPOSE The main function of the lacrimal gland is to produce the most aqueous component of the tear film covering the surfaces of the cornea and the conjunctiva. Studies have been conducted that characterize the mixed fluid and protein secretion of isolated acini, but no methods have been developed to characterize lacrimal gland ductal cell (LGDC) secretion. Secretory mechanisms of ductal epit...

The three-dimensional architecture of the rat exocrine pancreas was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with the HCl digestion method. The treatment with HCl effectively removed connective tissue elements enclosing the ducts and the acini. Thus their shapes and relations were clearly revealed under the SEM. Furthermore fine surface features of the acinar or ductal cells were also demo...

We have previously shown that thrombospondin (TSP) is present in normal breast secretions, and high levels of TSP are observed in malignant breast secretions and cytosols. Three genes encoding for three distinct TSPs (TSP1, TSP2, TSP3) have recently been described. In this study, using both immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, we report on the distribution of TSP1 in normal, hyperpla...

A case of basal cell adenoma of the parotid gland is reported. The tumor was studied by electron microscopy, and fine structural features included numerous desmosomes, large secretory granules, and replication of the basal lamina. Myoepithelial cells were not observed. The observations support the view that the tumor is monomorphic and that it arises from serous cells of the acini or intercalat...

The Lacrimal apparatus starts from the lacrimal gland and ends at the Nasolacrimal ducts. The apparatus consists of the lacrimal gland and the lacrimal pathway. The integrity of the Lacrimal Apparatus in its secretory function and in its drainage mechanism is most vital for the normal functioning of the eye. Any factor which upsets the drainage mechanism distal to the sac or at the Nasolacrimal...

The mandibular glands of the Chinese hamster were examined by light and electron microscopy. The mandibular acinar cells were noted to be categorized in a seromucous type, because the acinar cells stained slightly basophile and moderately positive for periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and alcian blue (AB) reactions and the intercellular canaliculi were detected in the cells. The acini were composed ex...

A highly selective, amiloride-sensitive, epithelial sodium channel from rat colon (rENaC), composed of three homologous subunits termed alpha, beta, and gamma rENaC, has been cloned by functional expression and was proposed to mediate electrogenic sodium reabsorption in aldosterone-responsive epithelia. To determine whether rENaC could account for sodium absorption in vivo, we studied the cellu...

Rat mammary ducts, free of buds, can alone regenerate complete mammary trees when transplanted into the interscapular fat pads of syngeneic host rats. All the main mammary cell types are identified within such outgrowths. Epithelial cells, which show the presence of milk fat globule membrane antigens and microvilli on their luminal surfaces, line the ducts. Basal cells surrounding the ducts sho...