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Differentiating myoepithelial and acinar cells in rat neonatal parotid gland and histogenetic concepts for salivary gland tumors
Author(s) -
Norberg Lena,
Dardick Irving,
BurfordMason Aileen P.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0714.1996.tb00300.x
Subject(s) - myoepithelial cell , salivary gland , parotid gland , biology , pathology , cellular differentiation , ductal cells , immunohistochemistry , acinar cell , cell type , cell , endocrinology , medicine , pancreas , biochemistry , genetics , gene
Histogenetic concepts for salivary gland tumors are predicated on the presence of reserve or undifferentiated cells in normal glands, presumably the source for cell renewal and induction of tumors. Developing rat parotid gland, which remains fetal‐like at birth, provides the opportunity to study differentiation and observe whether cytologically undifferentiated cells do or do not have functional indicators of specific differentiation pathways. Immunohistochemistry and immune‐electron microscopy, when applied to parotid gland at birth, at 12 days of age and in the adult gland, indicate that commitment to myoepithelial cell differentiation occurs prior to development of structural changes characteristic of these cells. Conversely, secretory granules are evident in differentiating acinar cells prior to synthesis of amylase. The results suggest that an appearance of undifferenliation does not confer reserve cell status either in the normal salivary gland or their tumors.