Some Observations on Ciliogenesis in the Oviduct Epithelium of the Mouse

Ciliogenesis in the epithelium of the oviduct ampulla of 5-9 day-old mice has been investigated by electron microscopy. As reported by many investigators, fibrous granules, deuterosomes, and procentrioles are important for ciliogenesis. After injection of colchicine, fibrous granules disappear, while numerous coated vesicles and lysosome-like dense bodies appear in the same region, and the formation of deuterosomes and procentrioles is impeded. In the ciliogenic cell, the Golgi apparatus, consisting of numerous vesicles, is very well developed, and a large number of microtubules are distributed between the supranuclear and apical cytoplasm. In addition to these, many small vesicles, some of which are fused with the plasma membrane, occur in the apical cytoplasm. These vesicles, which may be derived from the Golgi apparatus, are considered to be necessary for the apical plasma membrane, because the protrusion of cilia requires additional plasma-membrane substance during their differentiation and development. The microtubules, some of which are connected with these vesicles, might play some role in the movement of these vesicles from the Golgi field to the apical cytoplasm. When colchicine is administered to suckling mice, formation of microtubules is blocked in the upper part of the ciliated cell, and the apical vesicles disappear. This also indicates that the microtubules bring the vesicles from the Golgi field to the apical region of the cell.