title: Ultrastructure of von Ebner's salivary glands in the rabbit.
abstract: The von Ebner's salivary glands associated with the vallate and foliate papillae of the rabbit tongue were studied by light and electron microscopy. The glands are tubulo-alveolar in structure and have an abbreviated duct system. The seromucous cells of the secretory end-pieces contain numerous granules with a complex substructure; when the granule matrix is partially extracted as the result of less-than-optimal fixation, these granules are seen to contain bundles of 17-18 nm filaments. The ductular epithelium undergoes progressive change from simple columnar to stratified cuboidal or columnar. Both of these duct segments contain secretory granules that differ from those in the tubulo-alveolar cells and from each other. Thus the constituent cells of leporine von Ebner's glands produce a variety of organic secretory products.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011817:Rabbits; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000648:ultrastructure*