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Immunohistochemical and Ultrastructural Features of the Seasonal Changes in the Epididymal Epithelium of Camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Part of: Micrographia Collection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 September 2019

Dalia Ibrahim  and
Fatma M. Abdel-Maksoud Open the ORCID record for Fatma M. Abdel-Maksoud [Opens in a new window]
Dalia Ibrahim
Affiliation:
Department of Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
Fatma M. Abdel-Maksoud*
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assuit University, Assuit, Egypt
*
*Author for correspondence: Fatma M. Abdel-Maksoud, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

In order to evaluate the influence of reproductive activity on the functional role of the epididymal epithelium in the Egyptian dromedary camel, Connexin-43 (Cx-43), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and androgen receptor (AR) immunoreactivity in the epididymal epithelium and the fine structure of the principal, dark, basal, apical, and halo cells were investigated. The secretory activity of the principal cells was amplified in the breeding season, while its endocytotic function became more active in the nonbreeding season. This was evidenced by punctate strong immunoreactive signals for Cx-43, which appeared to be more intense in the apical region of these epithelial cells, and the extremely long slender stereocilia (microvilli) with multiple junctional complexes. The nonbreeding principal cells revealed granular immunoreactive signals for VEGF scattered in the apical and basal cytoplasm. Ultrastructurally, both extreme vacuolation and several multivesicular inclusion bodies were observed in their cytoplasm. Dark cell size greatly diminished in the nonbreeding season and their nuclear morphology greatly changed from oval to lobulated shape. The plasma membrane of the apical cells expressed several infoldings (microvilli) in the breeding season. However, it was almost smooth in the nonbreeding season except for a small microvillus that appeared as a bleb-like projection. In some regions, a strong dense immunoreactivity for VEGF could be recognized in the cytoplasm of the apical cells and some basal ones. Halo cells with numerous multivesicular inclusions occupying most of the cytoplasm and a lobulated eccentric nucleus were detected in the nonbreeding season. In conclusion, these findings indicate that the reproductive activity has a significant impact on the immunohistochemical and ultrastructural profiles of the epithelial cells lining the Egyptian dromedary camel epididymis.

Keywords

dromedaryintraepithelial lymphocytesmacrophagesreproduction
Type
Micrographia
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , October 2019 , pp. 1273 - 1282
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2019 

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