Skip to main content
Journal of Anatomy logoLink to Journal of Anatomy
. 1979 Sep;129(Pt 2):305–322.

Apocrine secretion in the terminal bronchiole of mouse lung.

J E Etherton, I F Purchase, B Corrin
PMCID: PMC1233049  PMID: 115821

Abstract

The question of the existence of apocrine secretory activity by the Clara cells of the mouse lung terminal bronchiole has been investigated in depth. The overall superiority of 1--2 micrometer plastic sections for light microscopy was demonstrated. The preservation of the anatomy of the terminal bronchiole was shown to be adversely affected by slow killing methods, by post mortem delays before fixation, and by the instillation of fluids via the trachea. The use of collapsed lungs removed from rapidly killed animals is probably the best method for the study of the small bronchioles of the lung. Apocrine secretion takes place as originally described by Clara in 1937. The reason why the phenomenon has received so little attention in the literature is probably because the tracheal or vascular perfusion of fixative, and delays before fixation, all prevent apocrine droplets from being preserved.

Full text

PDF
305

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Etherton J. E., Conning D. M., Corrin B. Autoradiographical and morphological evidence for apocrine secretion of dipalmitoyl lecithin in the terminal bronchiole of mouse lung. Am J Anat. 1973 Sep;138(1):11–35. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001380103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Finlay-Jones J. M., Papadimitriou J. M. The autolysis of neonatal pulmonary cells in vitro: an ultrastructural study. J Pathol. 1973 Oct;111(2):125–134. doi: 10.1002/path.1711110207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Finlay-Jones J. M., Robertson T. A., Walters M. N. The effect of anaesthetics on pulmonary ultrastructure. Pathology. 1971 Jul;3(3):181–190. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gil J., Weibel E. R. Extracellular lining of bronchioles after perfusion-fixation of rat lungs for electron microscopy. Anat Rec. 1971 Feb;169(2):185–199. doi: 10.1002/ar.1091690205. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Kuhn C., 3rd, Callaway L. A., Askin F. B. The formation of granules in the bronchiolar Clara cells of the rat. 1. Electron microscopy,. J Ultrastruct Res. 1974 Dec;49(3):387–400. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(74)90052-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Macklem P. T., Proctor D. F., Hogg J. C. The stability of peripheral airways. Respir Physiol. 1970 Jan;8(2):191–203. doi: 10.1016/0034-5687(70)90015-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Niden A. H. Bronchiolar and large alveolar cell in pulmonary phospholipid metabolism. Science. 1967 Dec 8;158(3806):1323–1324. doi: 10.1126/science.158.3806.1323. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Pattle R. E., Schock C., Creasey J. M. Post-mortem changes at electron microscope level in the type II cells of the lung. Br J Exp Pathol. 1974 Jun;55(3):221–227. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Petrik P., Collet A. J. Infrastructure des cellules bronchiolaires non ciliées chez la souris. Rev Can Biol. 1970 Jun;29(2):141–152. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Petrik P., Collet A. J. Quantitative electron microscopic autoradiography of in vivo incorporation of 3H-choline, 3H-leucine, 3H-acetate and 3H-galactose in non-ciliated bronchiolar (Clara) cells of mice. Am J Anat. 1974 Apr;139(4):519–533. doi: 10.1002/aja.1001390405. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Sato S., Kawakami M., Maeda S., Takishima T. Scanning electron microscopy of the lungs of vitamin E-deficient rats exposed to a low concentration of ozone. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1976 Jun;113(6):809–821. doi: 10.1164/arrd.1976.113.6.809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Smith P., Heath D., Moosavi H. The Clara cell. Thorax. 1974 Mar;29(2):147–163. doi: 10.1136/thx.29.2.147. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Wright N. G., Morrison W. I., Thompson H., Cornwell H. J. Experimental adenovirus immune complex glomerulonephritis. Br J Exp Pathol. 1973 Dec;54(6):628–633. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Zagury D., Model P. G., Pappas G. D. The preservation of the fine structure of cryostat-sectioned tissue with dimethylsulfoxide for combined light and electron microscopy. J Histochem Cytochem. 1968 Jan;16(1):40–48. doi: 10.1177/16.1.40. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Anatomy are provided here courtesy of Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland

RESOURCES