Ultrastructure and lectin cytochemistry of the cloacal pelvic glands in the male newt Triturus marmoratus marmoratus

The cloacal organ of Salamandridae species contains four glands: pelvic, do rsal, ventral, and Kingsbury's glands. Pelvic glands have been studied only by light microscopy with conventional methods, and consist of multiple tub ular serous glands with a prismatic epithelium which contains numerous PAS positive secretory granules. The present report is an ultrastructural and l ectin cytochemistry characterization of the pelvic glands of Triturus marmo ratus marmoratus throughout the reproductive cycle. Our methods consisted of conventional electron microscopy, and colloidal-go ld lectin cytochemistry of the following lectins: WGA, ConA, LcA, UEA-I, PN A, SEA, and HPA. In the prereproductive period, the glands showed a tall epithelium which co nsisted of two cell types, dark and clear cells, surrounded by elongated, m yoepithelial cells. Both dark and clear cells showed the ultrastructural ch aracteristics of secretory cells, and exhibited many secretory granules in the apical cytoplasm. Areas showing densely packed, degenerating cell organ elles-which were not surrounded by membrane-were observed in the dark cells whereas the clear cells showed large heterolysosomes. In the postreproduct ive period the number of secretory granules decreased, the rough endoplasmi c reticulum was less developed, and areas of degenerating organelles were a bsent. In addition, small basal cells appeared. The results of the lectin h istochemistry study were similar in both reproductive periods. In the epith elial cells, the rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi complex, and secret ory granules exclusively labeled to ConA. In all cell types, the nuclei rea cted to all lectins while the cytosol only reacted to LcA lectin. The ultrastructural and histochemical characteristics of the pelvic glands of T. marmoratus suggest that these glands could be homologous to the mamma lian seminal vesicles and prostate. Anat Rec 254:196-204, 1999. (C) 1999 Wi ley-Liss, Inc.