Ultrastructure and lectin cytochemistry of the cloacal kingsbury's glands in the male newtTriturus marmoratus marmoratus

Abstract

The aim of this study was the morphological and histochemical characterization of Kingsbury's glands in the male newt Triturus marmoratus marmoratus in the pre-reproductive and post-reproductive period of the testicular cycle, using light and electron microscopy and lectin histochemistry. The Kingsbury's glands are a small group of tubular glands that surrounds the cloacal tube. In the pre-reproductive period, Kingsbury's glands showed a cuboidal epithelium that was partially surrounded by myoepithelial cells. Most of the cuboidal cells showed numerous secretion granules in their cytoplasm. About 1 of 23 epithelial cells were mitochondria-rich cells that contained abundant mitochondria instead of secretion granules. In the post-reproductive period, the glandular epithelium decreased in size and did not show the characteristic secretion granules, and the glandular lumen was very reduced. The mitochondria-rich cells underwent no changes in this period, whereas the myoepithelial cells became larger. The lectin pattern of secretory cells in the pre-reproductive period was the following: the nuclei appeared strongly labeled with WGA, ConA, and SBA lectins, and scarcely with UEA-I; the cytosol was exclusively labeled with LcA; the rough endoplasmic reticulum was labeled with ConA and LcA; the Golgi complex appeared labeled to PNA, HPA, and UEA-I; and the secretion granules labeled with all the lectins tested. Mitochondria-rich cells and myoepithelial cells showed labeling to SBA, WGA, and ConA lectins but only in their nuclei. In the post-reproductive period, the nuclei of the three cell types were labeled with WGA, ConA, and SBA. In addition, the cytosol of the secretory cells was labeled with LcA, and that of myoepithelial cells with ConA. J. Exp. Zool. 281:228–237, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.