Two types of cells in the normal and atypical squamous epithelium of the cervix. II. Light microscopic study in human subjects.
The occurrence of two morphologically distinct cell types in the human cervical epithelium is reported. One of the two cell types had a large nucleus with scant chromatin, two to three chromocenters and a thin chromatinic membrane. Cells with these characteristics were called cells with "lucid nuclei." The other cell type had a small, dark nucleus. These types of cells were present in film-coated autoradiograms of specimens that had been fixed in Carnoy's solution; they were readily observed by altering the quality of the light illuminating the preparations. Micrometric determinations confirmed that cells with "lucid nuclei" were larger than cells with "nonlucid nuclei." There was significant variation in the proportion of cells with "lucid nuclei" among the various individuals investigated; these variations were not age dependent. Individual variations in the proportion of cells with lucid nuclei were also observed among cervical dysplasias and carcinoma in situ.
D000328:Adult; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000648:ultrastructure*
D002843:Chromatin