title: Mitosis in the corneal epithelium. A preliminary communication on the coexistence of differential and equivalent cell divisions.
abstract: The morphology and orientation of cytokinetic figures were studied in the rat corneal epithelium by light microscopy using serial semi-thick plastic sections. It has been found that the mitotising cell of the basal epithelial layer produces either a pair of morphologically similar daughter cells--equivalent or symmetrical division or a pair of morphologically dissimilar cells--differential or asymmetrical division. The equivalent divisions are horizontally orientated, whereas the differential divisions are oblique or vertical in relation to the basement membrane.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000166:cytology; D002455:Cell Division; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008938:Mitosis; D008940:Mitotic Index; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains