An Ultrastructural and Cytochemical Study of Enteroendocrine Cells of the Pyloric Antrum in the Gerbil,iMeriones unguiculatus/i

摘要

Enteroendocrine cells of the gastric antrum have been examined in the gerbil, Meriones unguiculatus. Gastrin-secreting G cells were identified by immunocytochemical methods and by transmission electron microscopy. They were present in the lower and middle third of the pyloric antral glands. G cells were polyhedral in shape and often extended to the gland lumen where they presented a microvillous and pinocytotic surface. These cells were characterized by numerous electron-dense and immunoreactive secretory granules. Enterochromaffin cells were identified by a serotonin-specific formaldehyde-induced fluorescence method, and by electron microscopy which revealed pleomorphic secretory granules of varying electron densities. These cells also had luminal projections and had a shape and distribution essentially similar to those of the G cells. A third endocrine cell type was identified as Dl cell in the pyloric glands. This cell type was recognized by the presence of numerous secretory granules having an electron-dense core and a clear peripheral space, as also by the presence of microfilament bundles, especially in the peri-nuclear region. The functional correlates of these morphological observations are discussed with reference to their secretory product and the manner of its release, especially by the G cells.