title: Rabbit endocervical epithelium: morphometric analysis of secretory cell populations.
abstract: In this report we quantitated ultrastructural changes in two cytologically distinct secretory cell populations from the rabbit endocervix. Type I and type II cells from estrous animals differ only in the presence of one or more empty cytoplasmic vacuoles in type II cells. Comparing type II cells from 5-day pseudopregnant (PSP) rabbits with type II cells from estrous controls, there is no increase (P greater than .05) in the average vacuole volume. When type I and type II cells from PSP animals are compared to cells from estrous controls, there is a decrease (P less than .01) in the average cell volume, a decrease (P less than .01) in the average nuclear volume, and a decrease (P less than .01) in the average granule volume. This reduction in the granule content of secretory endocervical cells was correlated with a dramatic decrease in protein glycosylation into the microsomal fraction. Serum estradiol concentrations for estrous (13.7 +/- 1.0 pg/ml) and PSP (18.1 +/- 1.5 pg/ml) animals were comparable. However, the 36-fold increase in serum progesterone concentrations for PSP (12.04 +/- 1.7 ng/ml) animals compared to estrous (0.33 +/- 0.1 ng/ml) animals may be responsible for the decrease in protein glycosylation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010052:Ovariectomy; D011555:Pseudopregnancy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins