Ultrastructure of the salivary bladder of the nine-banded armadillo.
The nine-banded armadillo possesses a salivary bladder which is a dilated portion of the main duct of the submandibular gland at its origin. The wall of the bladder is composed of an epithelium, a submucosa and a thick coat of skeletal muscle. The ultrastructure of the epithelium reveals that it is complex and consists of three cell types: 1) principal cells, 2) light cells, and 3) basal cells. The general organization of the epithelium suggests that it is a transporting type of epithelium such as that found in the amphibian and reptilian and reptilian urinary bladders and the mammalian gall bladder. The submucosa is composed primarily of densely-packed collagen fibers. The skeletal muscle is very vascular and richly innervated.
D000818:Animals; D001135:Armadillos / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D001693:Biological Transport, Active; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013045:Species Specificity; D013363:Submandibular Gland / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004490:Xenarthra / Q000033:anatomy & histology*