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The development of the human vaginal fornix and the portio cervicis
Author(s) -
Fritsch Helga,
Auer Ramona,
Hörmann Romed,
Pechriggl Elisabeth,
Regauer Sigrid,
Reich Olaf
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.23729
Subject(s) - epithelium , stromal cell , cervix , stroma , medicine , vagina , prenatal development , pathology , biology , fetus , anatomy , immunohistochemistry , pregnancy , genetics , cancer
One of the transitional zones of the human body is situated in the cervix uteri. The developmental differentiation of epithelial and stromal characteristics in such a region is of high clinical interest. However, few studies have focused on the development of this region, and information in anatomical and clinical textbooks is limited. We therefore examined the development of the human vaginal fornix and the cervix uteri during prenatal development. Materials and Methods We examined 29 female embryos and fetuses between 20 and 34 weeks and two newborns using histology and immunohistochemistry. Results The characteristic shape of the portiocervicis and the vaginal fornix first became visible in mid‐term fetuses because of the different muscular coats and of an uncategorized Müllerian‐derived epithelium, which was rapidly replaced by a multilayered squamous epithelium. Only thereafter, in older fetuses, were there organogenetic differentiation of the epithelia and the underlying stroma of the cervical canal. UGS‐derived p63/CK17‐positive cells could be identified as precursor cells for the squamous epithelium, and Müllerian‐derived CK7‐positive cells for the columnar‐type epithelium. Both cell types and different stromal zones were already present in a prenatal transformation zone. Initial functional differentiation could be observed in perinatal stages. Conclusions Our results on prenatal human development strongly support the view that two different cell lineages meet at the transitional zone of the cervix uteri and that these lineages depend on alternative signals from the underlying stromal compartment.