Histological observations on the quail oviduct : On the secretions in the mucous epithelium of the uterus

　前報(1965) では，うずら卵管子宮部の粘膜上皮の繊毛細胞(apical cell) の色素(porphyrin) について
報じたが，子宮部粘膜上皮と卵形成との関係を明らかにするために，その粘膜上皮を構成している繊毛
細胞(apical cell) と粘液細胞(basal cell) のそれぞれの分泌物について，組織化学的に観察し，またこれ
らの分泌像が卵の形成の各時期でどのように変化するかについて検索した.
　該上皮の分泌物は， apical cell における色素顆粒(porphyrin) およびPAS 陽性顆粒，basal cell におけ
る塩基性粘液穎粒である.色素顆粒は蛋白反応にのみ陽性で，色素蛋白であること， PAS 陽性顆粒は中
性粘液多糖類一蛋白複合体であること，粘液頼粒は酸性粘液多糖類一蛋白複合体であることがそれぞれ
示された.
　一方各時期における分泌像の変化については， basal cell は，峡部に卵殻膜で包まれた軟卵がある時期
に多量の粘液を充し，ついでその卵が子宮部に至ると，卵殻形成以前に粘液を放出する. apical cell の
両頼粒は常に相平行した関係を示し，卵が子宮部にあって卵殻が形成されている問に顆粒は著しく増加
し，卵殻完成に伴なって放出される.
　これらのことから， basal cellの粘液顆粒は卵殻の有機基質の形成に，apical cell の色素顆粒および
PAS 陽性顆粒はクチクラ形成に関係するものと考えられる.

In this investigation, the observations were made on the secretion materials in the surface epithelium of the quail uterus, with reference to their histochemical properties and their quantitative changes related to the egg formation. These results are summarized as follows:

1. The mucous surface epithelium in the uterus of the quail consisted of the apical ciliated cells and the basal mucous cells as described in the domestic fowl by RICHARDSON (1935) and JOHNSTON et al. (1963).
2. Three types of secretion materials were found in the epithelium; the pigment granules (porphyrin) and the PAS-positive granules in the apical cells and the basophilic mucin granules in the basal cells.
3. Histochemically, the pigment granules were presented as pigment protein, the PAS-positive granules as neutral mucopolysaccharide-protein complex and the mucin granules as acid mucopolysaccharide-protein complex.
4. The PAS-positive granules and the pigment granules showed parallel appearances in their quantitative changes in the cells; they were maximum in the stage of the shell formation, then released into the uterine lumen to form their mingled structures, which were considered as the cuticular material.
5. The mucin granules in the basal cells were maximum in the stage of shell-membrane formation, and then released into the lumen, prior to the pigment and the PAS-positive granules. They were considered as related to the formation of the organic matrix of the shell.