Presence and possible implications of open-ring centrioles, multiple basal centrioles and basal cilia in neonatal hamster bronchioles.
In studying epithelio-stromal interactions in the neonatal hamster lung, basal centrioles, basal cilia and open-ring centrioles attracted our attention. The same structures are also found in bronchiolar epithelium of a 3-week-old fawn-hooded rat, indicating that they are not specific phenomena of hamster lung. Although cells with basal centrioles are not common, they are more readily observed in a sample of bronchioles at the second postnatal week as compared to the fourth neonatal day. The centrioles may often possess two satellites and function as microtubule organizing centers (MTOC). Open-ring centrioles are mature structures and also serve as MTOC. Apparently, triplets may de novo be added to and/or degraded from an open-ring centriole. The basal cilia and the cilia in the ciliated vacuoles/cysts, have a normal axonemal structure and may have a common origin from the basal centrioles. It is, however, unclear whether or not they are primary-like cilia. In addition, presence of the multiple basal MTOC and some morphologic features point to a high microtubule-associated vesicular transport activity and probably indicate an elevated interaction with the interstitium; thus, the cells have a different polarization then normal ciliated cells.
van den Steen
P
P
Laboratorium voor Histopathologie, Faculteit Geneeskunde, Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven, Belgium.
van Lommel
A
A
Lauweryns
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001980:Bronchi / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002502:Centrioles / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002923:Cilia / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000502:physiology; D006224:Cricetinae; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology; D008647:Mesocricetus; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051381:Rats